In Chapter 9 (“A Splash of Gratitude with That Attitude”) of You’ll Get Through This, Max Lucado observes that mixing blessing and bitterness doesn’t go over well with God. A sour concoction will result when heavenly kindness is combined with earthly ingratitude. Ingratitude, Max adds, comes naturally. Yet a spoonful of gratitude is all we need to turn things around.
Before the years of famine in Egypt, Joseph and his Egyptian wife had two sons- Manasseh’s name honored God’s mercy, while Ephraim’s name proclaimed God’s favor. Pastor Lucado states that gratitude will get us through adversity:
“To reflect on your blessings is to rehearse God’s accomplishments. To rehearse God’s accomplishments is to discover his heart. To discover his heart is to discover not just good gifts but the Good Giver. Gratitude always leaves us looking at God and away from dread.”
Daniel is the eight-year-old son of one of Max’s friends. Daniel was born with a dramatically disfigured face, the result of a double cleft palate. Even with surgery, the evidence remains. When Daniel was named student of the week, he told his mom he wanted to bring a photo of his face before surgery for show-and -tell. Concerned, Daniel’s mom asked if doing so wouldn’t make him feel funny. Daniel’s response was priceless:
“Oh, no, I want everyone to see what God did for me!”
Today’s question: What are some things you can be grateful for, even in the midst of your desert, transition time? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “The Spite House”; coming Tuesday- new Short Meditation, “Lonely, but not alone”