Spiritual Things Matter

Gratitude is born in hearts that take time to count up past mercies. ~Charles E. Jefferson

I love this quote because I find it so true.

Life presents us with many choices in so many areas of our lives. We often make just the right choice for our present circumstance, and often simply think of it as luck. Then, there are times when we make a wrong choice. We miss calculate and we make a mistake. We are then devastated, and it tears away at us because we are at a loss of how to make right what has gone so wrong. Sometimes, despite our intense efforts, there simply is no answer at our disposal, and we must go on and do the best we can hoping to never repeat such a mistake again.

Such an experience can break us inwardly until we learn to gentle ourselves…toward ourselves, and realize that our humanness brings us so many hidden gifts. A profound breaking can often be the most profound gift for our hungry and longing heart.

Pain often drives us to want to look inward with a much more honest look. There, we begin to discover a deeper well within us.   Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote,  “In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.”

An inward look of honesty brings a heart of gratitude because we begin to realize a deeper meaning and purpose to our life.  We realize indeed that we want to change, that we want to grow, that we want to mature out of our childish ways into mature men and women.  We are thankful that the generosity of life places people into our lives that love us and accept us simply for who we are.

It is very sad when you meet a person who has never been able to allow the breaking of life to gentle them.  No time seems to be given to look at ones inward landscape with an honest eye and without fear, but rather they choose to project blame, criticism, and anger towards others which only serves to intensify their own anger as their ego of victim-hood goes on a rampage. Their minds become cloudy and diseased, having forgotten how to be truly thankful and grateful for the life that they have been given, and for the people that have been placed in their lives.  I wish for those people an awareness of a more gentle and more forgiving nature so that they may be able to find peace for themselves once more.

This Thanksgiving, I am deeply grateful for many things. Daily, I am reminded of how blessed I am to have my family.  Daily, I recognize that people are sent into our lives for reasons, and I feel profoundly thankful for each and every one of them.  Most of all, I am thankful for the grace that helps us to look inward, and to allow our thankful hearts to be transformed into a life of gratitude.

Wishing each of my dear readers a Happy and safe Thanksgiving!