We can feel a sense of peace when we are mindful of the blessings from God.
I used to ask my young singers, “So, how was school today?” as they arrived at my after-school rehearsal. They almost always responded with “Good,” “OK,” “I don’t know,” or a blank stare. So I changed my approach, and started asking “What was the best thing that happened to you at school today?” That simple question invited them to reflect on their day through the eyes of gratitude and to be more mindful of blessings from God.
Sometimes the dialogue didn’t go as expected. A second-grade boy once burst into tears and wailed, “I didn’t get to do anything I wanted to do today!” (I thought, “Just wait until you grow up!”) I listened to his litany of disappointments, then we talked about how the following day could be better, even if some things still go wrong.
And things will go wrong! We know that cultivating genuine gratitude is much easier said than done, especially when we are living through painful experiences. The apostle Paul offers inspired counsel for such times: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7, NIV).
Paul’s counsel comes with an incredible promise: the peace of God will guard our hearts and minds! An inexplicable sense of abiding calm and tranquility will rise above our anxiousness. This transcendent peace will protect us from the debilitating effects of worry, anxiety, and negativity. Paul also instructs us to add thanksgiving to our prayers and petitions. Gratitude gives perspective to our current fears.
Gratitude can increase empathy and compassion for others.
Our postmodern world is an unpredictable mix of positive and negative. We are thankful for the things that enrich our daily lives and also mindful that disaster strikes without notice. During times of heartbreak or tragedy, a famous Mr. Rogers quote often resurfaces: “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’”
Children are comforted to know there are so many caring people in this world. For us, Mr. Rogers’ quote also inspires empathy and compassion for others. Our faith compels us to go beyond just “looking for the helpers.” Because we have been so blessed, we express our thankfulness by helping others and sharing our abundance. Sometimes, when problems seem so overwhelming, we wonder how we can hope to make a difference. David Booth, Associate Professor Emeritus of Religion at St. Olaf College, reminds us that “hope is not chipper optimism, but a dogged, resolute sense of obligation, even in the face of long odds, to do what is in our power to do.”
When we are thankful for God’s blessings, relationships are strengthened.
Relationships are truly the most significant dimension of our lives. This is vividly demonstrated when natural disasters strike: people who have lost all their worldly possessions declare, “Our house and belongings can be replaced. We still have each other, and that’s what’s most important.”
Still, relationships are complex. Rifts occur within families and friendships. Pride, selfishness, jealousy, and a sense of entitlement are just a few of the emotions that damage relationships. Novelist and nonfiction writer Anne Lamott is credited with the saying, “Expectations are resentments under construction.” When my feelings get hurt or I feel slighted, I try to ask myself, “Why did I expect to be spoken to first?” or “Why did I assume I would be thanked or acknowledged?” or “How did my actions or attitudes contribute to this misunderstanding?” Fortunately, God has blessed us with many grace gifts, including humility, forgiveness, and gratitude. These blessings allow us to see and acknowledge our own flaws and graciously accept the shortcomings of others. When we nurture authentic gratitude, we can learn to see the best in one another. Then, we may truly cherish and value every relationship.
God’s blessings remind us of His care for and in our lives.
I discovered this prayer a few years ago. It is said to come from the Scottish Highlands:
God, bless to me the new day,
Never vouchsafed to me before;
It is to bless your own presence
You have given me this time, O God.
This prayer reminds me that every day is a gift from God. We often pray for a miracle when we need a dramatic intervention of God’s healing and power, and it is always right to do so. At the same time, it helps to remember that each and every day is a miracle in and of itself. All we have to do is look at the world around us and marvel that God created everything we see and have.
When we are mindful of God’s blessings, we also realize He surrounds us with His loving care. Have you ever gone to bed after a hard, discouraging day, only to wake up the next morning revived and ready to take on the day with a renewed sense of resolve and courage? That night of rest and renewal is a gift from God and an expression of His loving kindness and care.
I often remind myself that God is present and caring for us even when He seems to be silent. When my son was young, he went through a long, life-threatening illness. During that time, my grade-school daughter learned a Swahili lullaby in her school choir. She taught the song to me during our evening walks. Though I didn’t know the meaning of the lyrics, the haunting melody found a home in my soul and brought indescribable comfort to me. When I was so distressed that I couldn’t even pray, I would sing that lullaby. After my son recovered, I found the song, Allundé Alluya, and ordered the sheet music. With the music came the translation of the words: “O, God of the sunrise, protect this child. Help the infant to grow and become a worthy member of our tribe.” I marveled at the discovery. During my son’s illness, I was unknowingly singing a prayer for his survival. In this and countless other ways small and large, God reminds us of His blessings and His care for us.
The blessings in our lives bring us joy and fulfillment.
When you see a rainbow arching across the sky, did you know it looks different to you than it does to other people? The angle that sunlight refracts through the rain droplets is different for every person; the “same” rainbow looks somewhat different to each of us. In that sense, God blesses each of us with our own unique rainbow! It should come as no surprise, then, that God chooses to bless each of us in specific ways that bring us joy and fulfillment.
Music, for example, brings delight and contentment to many of us. For me, making music with others is especially meaningful. Rehearsing and performing choral and instrumental music with others is one of the few experiences in our world when we can come together and leave the things that divide us at the door. Making music together requires complete unity and oneness of purpose. It transforms our rehearsal space into a place of refuge, encouragement, and building community. Our practice times become a respite because of our common commitment to breathe life into the written notation. At the close of a rehearsal, we are often physically drained – but emotionally and spiritually renewed, and more committed to bringing harmony and healing to the broken places in our relationships and in our world.
God’s blessings bring us a reason to find meaning and purpose in life.
My wife Tammie and I enjoy cooking and working in the kitchen. She does most of the cooking, and I do most of the after-dinner cleanup. She shared a hilarious and insightful cartoon with me recently. In the cartoon, a man is placing dishes in a dishwasher. His facial expression and the caption acknowledge his disillusionment that every moment of his life would not be as fulfilling, meaningful, and vibrating with energy as he hoped for.
My wife and I had fun discussing the cartoon from the perspective of gratitude. Placing dishes in the dishwasher can generate an almost endless list of things for which we can be thankful! Here’s the beginning of our list: sun, rain, plants, honeybees, water, electricity, farmers, truckers, grocery stores, kitchens, and yes, dishes and dishwashers!
We are all thankful for the obvious: family, faith, friends, health – but finding awe in ordinary things can transform our thinking. The awareness of God’s constant blessings and provision can bring meaning and purpose to the simplest of life’s moments.
