Growing in GratitudeSample

Keeping a Grateful Heart

It has been said, “The things you take for granted, someone else is praying for.” What a thought to consider! How easily we can take for granted that which has become commonplace in our lives. Even more tragic, however, is when we take His promises, His provisions, and His mercies for granted. May He open our eyes to see His abundant grace all around us, thus causing our hearts to overflow with gratitude!

Elisabeth Elliot wrote, “We accept and thank God for what is given, not allowing the not-given to spoil it.” Let us count our blessings and not our problems or disappointments. What is our biggest blessing? Christ! As we fix our eyes on Jesus and the cross, we will always find that we have something to be grateful for.

One year when my young son saw an advertisement that read, “Black Friday Sale,” he asked, “Black Friday - isn’t that the day that Jesus died?” I explained, “No, that is called GOOD Friday.” He shrugged and said, “Well, it should be called BLACK Friday.” A few days later, he brought it up again, and he said it should be called Black Friday because that is the day Jesus DIED. My daughter quickly interjected, “But it’s called GOOD Friday because He died for OUR sins.”

This year as you hear about Black Friday deals and discounts, let it remind you of what Jesus did for you that fateful day, when darkness did indeed cover all the land, and He took the penalty and punishment of your sins upon Himself. There is no better “deal” than the offer of salvation: the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord! Even throughout our most difficult days, we still have much to be thankful for when we look at the cross. Let us dare not take it “for granted.”

Gratitude is always possible by the grace of God and the working of His Spirit within our hearts. We must acknowledge that to be grateful is a command and does not depend upon our emotions or estimation of a thing. As we busily prepare our homes and menus for the holiday of Thanksgiving, let us not forget to prepare our hearts for the act of thanks-giving. May we ask Him to open our eyes and show us that which we take for granted on a daily basis, so that instead, we might give Him thanks. When our heart is hurting due to disappointments or unmet expectations, may we not allow the “not given” to spoil what has been given - namely, our salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ, because of what He willingly did for us on the original “Black Friday.”

Perhaps the key to keeping a grateful heart is not having or obtaining more in our lives to be thankful for, but rather to give Him thanks for what He has already given.