Guest post by Author Lauri Lemke Thompson
Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our Salvation.” Psalm 68:19 (NKJV).
Discontent. With the long list of things that are going wrong in our nation and the world, it’s easy to fall into discontent. Closer to home, I bet you could rattle off a list of disappointments.
It’s no fun to wallow in discontent. While it may be a challenge, let’s consider the following: we can choose to give thanks despite the many negatives swirling through our heads.
“Isn’t this partly what’s awry in the world? The world needs fewer complaints and more thanks,” writes Ann Voskamp, award-winning author of One Thousand Gifts.
Voskamp argues that discontent and ingratitude are what got the human race into trouble back in the Garden of Eden. Think about it: Adam and Eve could eat from all the trees, but they weren’t satisfied. They felt God hadn’t given them enough. What? They lived in Paradise!
Here’s a common question: what are you thankful for? We come up with knee-jerk responses: “my spouse,” “my family,” or “good health.” What if we expanded our thinking?
Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth wrote this in The Quiet Place: “If we deceive ourselves into believing that everyday household items come from the grocery store rather than from a gracious God, we walk right past countless reasons for worship without even knowing it.”
To get you started, here are a few from Wolgemuth’s gratitude list: toothpaste and bath soap; hot water and dishwashing detergent; air conditioning and house plants; sunsets and sunglasses; ink pens and notepaper; wildlife and wildflowers; autumn leaves and attic space; blue skies, fuzzy blankets, and birthday cards; sticky notes and popcorn; warm clothes and clean sheets.
My own list includes the song that came on the car radio that lifted my spirits. The joke that cracked me up right when I felt I was about to crack up over a serious problem. The pine-scented walk I took through an enchanted forest. Seeing seven deer in golden twilight. Cleaning and organizing a closet.
When you become more aware of your blessings, their abundance may surprise you. He loads us with benefits; however, most of us need reminders to acknowledge those benefits, or it won’t happen. America’s entitlement mentality has gripped us all.
“If you want to find happiness, find gratitude,” said Steve Maraboli.
Voskamp writes, “Our worlds reel unless we rejoice. A song of thanks steadies everything.”
So get the gratitude habit started and keep it going. You will find yourself both happier and calmer – and, as Martha Stewart says, “That’s a good thing!”
A Wisconsin native, Lauri Lemke Thompson appreciates living with her husband in the lovely Ozark mountains in Branson, Missouri. She is active in Christian Women’s Connection (Stonecroft) and the Ozarks Chapter of the American Christian Writers. Her two books, Hitting Pause and Pressing Forward, are collections of her articles and devotions. Her bimonthly column appears in the Branson Globe newspaper.