Thankful vs. Thankless

How thankful are you really?

Of course the holiday season is just around the corner and everyone is in good spirits and thankful this time of year but what about the remaining 364 days out of the year?

Do you continue to give thanks for all you have whether it be little or big?

Or do you spend the rest of your days complaining about what you don’t have?

I think the majority of us do the latter.

Why is that?

I think it’s because we easily forget where we’ve come from.

Remember Where You Came From

We all have our ‘story’ so to speak, our story of trials, struggles, heartache and pain and many of these things, we once thought we could never overcome but we did and when we did, it felt great. God was blessing us, He was on our side, we felt strong and courageous and empowered…then what happened, we started to forget.

Sometimes we hit another bump in the road or even a mountain, or we start comparing our lives to others and want what they have, or sometimes we just want more and are unhappy when we don’t get what we want, when we want it.

We no longer have an attitude of gratitude, we forget how far God has brought us and forget what it was that He brought us out of.

If you’re a Bible reader you know the book of Exodus and the story of Moses and the Israelites (if you’re not a Bible reader now’s a good time as any to start.) In this book, God directs Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery and into the promised land and while on their journey through the wilderness they became very ungrateful. Time after time God gave them what they asked for and still once it wore off they once again complained; this is a fascinating story and one that is still so true to this day.

Take kids as another example, how often do your own kids or nieces and nephews beg and plead for that shiny new toy (especially if another kid has one) they give you puppy dog eyes, they say how good they will be and how they will eat all of their veggies and how much they will love you if only you just get them this one thing, right?

Then what happens, you get it for them because you love them and want them to be happy and hope they cherish it forever, right? Wrong!

The first few minutes are great, they are all excited about it and can’t wait to open it and they are just the nicest, kindest kid on the planet until what, they see a new shiny toy! Then they completely forget about the one you just gave them, let alone what you might have had to endure to get it (overtime, eating Top Ramen for a week, searching 5 different stores, etc.) and then the cycle starts all over again.

And we are so like that with our own Father, we ask Him to get us out of a bad relationship, a bad environment, we ask Him for shiny things like a new job, a promotion, the house with a view and He delivers.

He brings us out of poverty, He blesses us with financial stability, He gives us strength when we are weak and courage when we are afraid but once we’re on the mountain top we forget about the valley we once endured, we forget how lost we were in the wilderness and instead of being thank-full, we are thank-less.

I challenge you to not just be thankful and grateful during the holiday season, make it a priority 365 days a year.

Start by remembering where you started and where you are today, it may not be completely where you want to be but as the saying goes “I may not be where I want to be but thank God I’m not where I used to be.” Amen!

Praise the L ord ! Give thanks to the L ord , for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. (Psalms 106:1 NLT)

God bless and I hope you all have a wonderful and blessed holiday.

And of course, as always, I’d love to hear from you so let’s start the Attitude of Gratitude off right and let me know what you are thankful and grateful for today.

There are so many things I am thankful for but number one on my list is the two wonderful men God has blessed me with, my husband and my step-son.