To be grateful describes a feeling as well as a rational awareness of how blessed we are. Sadly, as we examine the advancement of civilizations, we often find that overall gratitude seems to decrease, rather than increase, with social improvements. The more we have, the more we feel entitled to it and wish to have more, and the less grateful we are. We have become societies of complainers, who whine too quickly when things are difficult, and who, without thought, become disgruntled with the slightest inconvenience. We have become people who stand in front of the microwave and tell it to hurry up, who fuss when our plane – that in just a few hours will take us over distances that took our ancestors months to pass – is a mere half an hour late.
But there are some among us who are truly grateful. I hope we can aspire to be such people. Believers are those who are grateful for the ways that God has blessed us, and for the purpose to which he has called us. Life without meaning, without a higher purpose, deprives us of joy. But life in Christ gives us not only a loving God who cares about our daily physical needs, but a life with a purpose and a positive outlook. Be grateful, my brother and sister, for God has promised that all things work together for good for those who love God (Romans 8:28).
