At the conclusion of Chapter 2 (“The Way of Gratefulness”) of Ruthless Trust, author Brennan Manning notes that grumbling is the antitheses of thankfulness and results in a life of self-induced stress. The author goes on to emphasize that ingratitude or grumbling was such a grievous matter to Ignatius Loyola that he addressed the subject in a letter:
“It seems to me that ingratitude is the most abominable of sins . . . . For it is a forgetting of the graces, benefits and blessings received . . . . On the contrary, the grateful acknowledgement of blessings and gifts received is loved and esteemed not only on earth but in heaven.”
Following our ministry downsizing or position loss, ingratitude and grumbling compete for space in our hearts. Allowing these attitudes to take root creates an adversarial relationship with our Lord. It is essential that we intentionally cultivate rituals in which we recognize and give thanks for God’s many acts of mercy and goodness in our lives. Brennan Manning beautifully expresses the spirit of trust and gratefulness:
“To be grateful for an unanswered prayer, to give thanks in a state of interior desolation, to trust in the love of God in the face of the marvels, obscenities and commonplaces of life is to whisper a doxology in the darkness.”
