By Sister Mary Scholastica, O.C.D.
Can we ever tire of speaking about gratitude? Reminding ourselves of the need to have a grateful heart? To encourage the spirit of gratitude in others? Can we ever get tired of this? I don’t think so.
I suppose if one’s perspective in life is moving in the opposite direction of gratitude, it can become somewhat grating as it’s reminding you of something that feels unattainable. And when one feels like this, it can become aggravating to constantly be reminded. I suppose if someone said to you all the time, “be grateful”, “how come you’re not grateful”, etc. you might want to jump the gratitude ship. It does seem to have a more negative connotation when phrased and reminded in that way.
There is a direction in life that we’re wired to keep walking. Forward facing. Growing. Upwards. Movement not stagnation. When we move in ways and make decisions in life that keep us walking in the direction for which we’re innately oriented, there’s a rightness we experience. We are often reminded of these fundamental truths when we read Scripture. Love God, love your neighbor, do to others what you would have them do unto you, don’t judge unless you want to be judged, my burden is easy, do not fear, God loves a cheerful giver, give thanks with a grateful heart, etc.
I don’t know about you, but every time I’ve heard any of the Scripture excerpts noted above (and I’ve heard them for years) it serves to remind me of how I am called to live. It also feels ever new. Maybe it’s because the lessons are hard to learn and live whole-heartedly all the time, every day. It really is the stuff of saints. And saints are no different than you or I. They, too, had their past to struggle through, the present to live fully in and their futures to surrender to the Lord. They heard the same basic truths again and again and allowed it go deeper into their minds and hearts.
So back to our question, can we ever get tired of speaking about gratitude. I don’t think so. It’s one of those basic truth reminders that everything we have is a gift from God. Everything we are, is a gift from God. You can do what you can do because God made you that way. All is gift. We forget. My goodness we forget! And so yes, we are speaking of gratitude, again and again and again. Hopefully, every time we are reminded, it renews in our hearts a desire to deeply imprint in minds and hearts the spirit, attitude and stance of gratitude which allows us to live each day knowing that God is God and that He is faithful. Thank God for God!
