Apr. 29: Cultivating a Grateful Heart

I’m a complainer. I’ll admit it. It’s a pattern I don’t like. I have a critical attitude and complaining mouth in too many situations. Why can’t I be more grateful?

Do you find yourself grumbling, having high and often unmet expectations, critical of others? Whether it’s drivers, food, politicians, your spouse, children, your job, your church—do you find yourself being critical or complaining more times than not?

Complaining and being grateful are mutually exclusive. Complainers don’t often show gratitude, and ungrateful people don’t often experience peace.

The Apostle James described a critical tongue (which takes its cues from a critical mind):
But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so. 11 Does a spring send forth fresh water and bitter from the same opening? 12 Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring yields both salt water and fresh. James 3:8-12 (NKJV)
Blessing and cursing can’t come out of same mouth, like fresh and contaminated water can’t come from same spring.

Paul instructs us to “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colosians 3:15-17

In one verse he links peace to being thankful, and in the next he links gratitude to praise. A critical attitude and complaining mouth can poison relationships. All kinds of people have a hard time being grateful: Suffering, sick people feel angry and abandoned, Poor people think God’s given them the shaft, Rich people take it for granted, Working people think they earned it with their own sweat. Like Bart Simpson who prayed the Thanksgiving Day prayer: “Dear God, dad worked hard and made the money to buy all this food, mom bought it and cooked it, and I set the table—so thanks for nothing”

We may not say that, but we might think it. How does one cultivate a grateful heart? One Word: REMEMBER

Anxiety comes from worry; peace comes from gratitude. As you remember God’s blessings, you begin to thank Him and give Him praise. As you thank and praise God you begin to experience peace. PRAY for open eyes, sensitivity to NOTICE God’s activity and blessings; ACKNOWLEDGE them by singing His praises. You and I will both find ourselves complaining less and being more grateful. Grateful People bring joy to others, are blessed in return, have treasure in heaven, are satisfied and content, please God, and have their needs fully met

Whatever you are complaining about (leaders, kids, $) that thing or person is a gift from God. To complain about the gift is to insult the Giver. Being ungrateful poisons relationships and destroys peace. A grateful heart is a peace-filled heart.

~ Father, replace my complaining heart with a grateful heart. Help me to count my blessings, gifts from Your hand, every day. Amen.