Gratitude

Fine Dining, the Titanic, and the Wrath of the Lamb

HEATHER MOLENDYK | CONTRIBUTOR If you were to observe my children while we discuss things like family vacations, clothing accessories, or entertainment activities, you would think their faces belong on posters for Compassion International. As many American families can attest, the current economic climate puts the squeeze on how far each dollar will go. In fact, a dollar usually needs to bring along a friend (or seven) in order to have any fun at the cash register. All that to say, when my husband was treated to a gift card for a posh restaurant, we were thrilled. As we parked our compact car between the luxury vehicles and navigated tables occupied by chic diners, my mood took a turn. I became about as delightful as a cat getting a belly rub during bath time. Excusing myself to wash up before lunch and to try to salvage my sour attitude, the Holy Spirit flicked me between the eyes and revealed the sin in my heart. I was coveting money. What is money? Money is a token that is traded for something that is needed or wanted. Its value is derived from the desire of another person to possess it. For example, if I need a gallon of milk and a box of cereal more than the five-dollar bill in my wallet, I will happily surrender my money to Walmart so that I can leave the store with items to feed my family breakfast. If my family desires to see the latest movie, we will eagerly put on a garage sale to trade some household goods for money to spend at the local movie theater. There have been times in history when money has absolutely no value to anyone. Remember the Titanic? As the ship was sinking into the dark, icy ocean, people of all levels of society were scrambling to climb into the lifeboats. Because there were not enough boats to save all the passengers, choices were made. In that sort of situation, no one in their right mind would have traded their seat on a lifeboat for any amount of money. Getting out of the lifeboat was a death sentence. Money would not save them...

The Secret Sauce of Gratitude

STEPHANIE FORMENTI|GUEST My family and I lived in Brazil for a little over three years. And while I grew to appreciate many things about Brazil, probably the thing I learned to love the most is the delicious food! I love the tropical fruit, the beans and rice, the meat, and the cheese bread. But the best Brazilian food is my mother-in-law’s cooking, and here is the secret to her food: she starts almost every dish by sauteing fresh garlic and diced onions in quality olive oil. It’s the base for nearly everything she cooks, and this flavor combination makes all of her food really delicious. I think gratitude is the garlic and olive oil in our walk with Jesus. Just as food can still nourish and fill me up, if it doesn’t start with my mother-in-law’s secret sauce, it lacks the deliciousness that garlic, onion, and olive oil bring to a dish. In the same way, gratitude enhances our everyday experience with Jesus by bringing flavor and beauty. We can read our Bibles, spend time in prayer, participate in godly fellowship and partake of the sacraments. Those things do provide spiritual nourishment and are essential to cultivating a love for Jesus and for others, but a posture of gratitude aids us in more vividly tasting and seeing the goodness of God. This action of giving thanks is captured in the Greek word eucharisteo. The root word of eucharisteo is charis or grace. We also see its derivative—chara— which we translate as joy. Displaying gratitude then seems to imply a connection to both grace and joy. Maybe gratitude is a repeated decision to receive grace which then results in joy. I believe this happens in our lives in three specific ways. Gratitude provides perspective. Thanksgiving reframes things for us. Gratitude is a perspective changer. It shakes us up and gives us proper sight in two ways: First, gratitude moves us from a position of ownership to a position of stewardship. It rightly places God as the giver of all things (James 1:17), the one who owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10), and the one who gives generously without reproach (James 1:5). This necessitates an acknowledgement that we are simply recipients; to receive a gift is foundationally a posture of humility. We do nothing other than stretch out our hands and accept it. Whatever we have, whether that be material goods, children, financial stability, healthy relationships, athletic prowess, or spiritual insight—we receive all of it as an immeasurably gracious gift from God. He created it all and He owns it all. Whatever we have is a gift from him. Gratitude gives us this perspective. Without it, we spend a lot of time hoarding things and even more time protecting them. We approach life tight-fisted, exhausting our emotional energy and the hours of our day fighting to protect the wealth, relationships, status, achievements, abilities, looks, and power which aren’t even ours to begin with. Secondly, gratitude moves us from a mindset of scarcity to one of abundance...