Attitude of Gratitude

2 Timothy 2:1 Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Oh, my goodness, did you see the moon last night or early this morning? What a sight! It was dazzling the night before, as well. I have always been excited by the moon but especially a full moon. I have taken mental trips back in time to a place when people didn’t have electric lights or even oil lamps and imagined how thankful they were for full moons. I enjoy walking around outside in full moons for the sheer magic of it but for those folks it must have been a blessing to have the darkness pushed back those few nights each month.

We take so much for granted, don’t we? People no longer have to make all our clothes by hand or down to a river to wash them as people used to do, yet we begrudgingly resent having to wash the ones we have. Oh, the torment of throwing them in the washer and dryer and having to fold or hang them up! We do not have to go out and shoot something just to have food for dinner but we sure can be put off by having to decide what to fix night after night. All this sounds rather silly but if we are honest with ourselves, we know it’s true. We take much of the blessings in our lives for granted.

What about grace? Do we as Christians take the redeeming grace of Jesus Christ for granted? Have we gotten so lackadaisical in attitude about grace that we are able to blow off accountability for our actions and choices by standing on a platform of grace? Do we symbolically re-sacrifice Jesus by living like hell when it suits us, dancing to the carnal tune of the flesh, then falling back on His grace and mercy when it’s time to pay the piper? ‘Jesus picked up my tab, I’m outta here. See ya!’ Doesn’t exactly ring with gratitude, does it?

We start taking things for granted when we cease to be consciously grateful for them. Imagine how relationships might change if we made an ongoing point to express an attitude of gratitude!     

Max Lucado said, “Gratitude!  It’s the firstborn child of grace, the appropriate response of the blessed. Immerse yourself in the curriculum of grace!  It’s so easy to be distracted.  So easy to be ungrateful!”