A Grateful Heart is a Healthy Heart
Before I learned the art of being grateful
Have you ever realized that when you are enjoying the comfort of being in the driver’s seat of your own life, the unexpected normally strikes? When this happens, the rug of false security is swept from under your feet, and you are left vulnerable and exposed. The only way to survive is to then pick up the shattered pieces, try to piece them together, and move on with your life.
I was at such a point in my life when my young sister was diagnosed with breast cancer. Despite this being a fear-invoking illness, the doctors assured us that she would be fine once she had an operation. Fast forward, the operation was a success but the cancer came back two years later, more aggressive than before. A year later, she was gone, leaving behind two toddlers who had no inkling that their lives would never be the same again.
The two toddlers were left in my care without any parenting manual. For starters, I had my own two children who felt threatened by the new members and frequent, aggressive fights became the norm. Secondly, I did not have enough space for the expanded family. Thirdly, my income made it no secret that it would not be stretched any further. What I had in abundance was love, but as someone rightfully said, “love does not pay the bills.”
The turning point in my story
It was in this situation of despair, depression, self-pity and sleepless nights that I accidentally stumbled upon a movie of an incarcerated elderly man. This man had been convicted and sentenced for a crime he did not commit even though there was insufficient evidence linking him to the crime.
To make matters worse, when he was in prison, the man’s entire family was swept away by a cyclone. As a result, he had no visitors in prison and he could not afford the basic necessities like toiletries. Since he had no shoes, he glued plastic bottles together so that he could have something to wear when going to the bathroom (for hygiene purposes).
One day, he got a surprise visit from the producers of a crime reality show and he was given toiletries, a pair of shoes, a face towel, and a few other provisions. The joy on this man’s face was out of this world; he continuously praised God for the gifts he had received while showering blessings upon the givers. The way he praised God, you would swear he was a free man, and when he narrated his story, it was clear that he bore no grudges at all. There was no room for self-pity in this man’s heart as he firmly believed that by being in prison, God had saved his life from the cyclone that wiped out his family.
My own journey towards a grateful, healthy heart
This video made me realize that prison is a state of mind and not a physical state. Here was a man who was not free to do what he wanted, when he wanted, but his mind and soul were free. The four walls of prison did not limit his thoughts and his faith.
It was only then that I realized I was unhappy because I was focusing on what I didn’t have instead of focusing on what I had. When I started counting my blessings on a daily basis, I was surprised to note that I had a lot to be grateful for—far more than what others had.
By focusing on what I have, I discovered the art of gratitude—and inner peace and happiness enveloped me like a warm blanket on a cold winter night. This peace and happiness rubbed off on my children and their aggression became a thing of the past. The older children have even grasped the art of gratitude and each morning they welcome the new day with a gratitude prayer and also close the day with the same prayer.
During these uncertain times, let us learn to be grateful for what we have: good health, fresh air, a healthy pair of lungs, food, a roof over our heads, clothes on our backs, family and friends . . . The list is endless. Let us not forget that a grateful heart is a healthy heart.
Meet Maureen Kambarami
Maureen Cresencia Kambarami is a Social Worker with extensive experience in family counseling and therapy. A woman after God’s word and principles, she is passionate about writing Christian articles and believes in telling authentic stories to inspire and uplift others. Born and raised in Zimbabwe, she has now made South Africa her second home. She resides in Johannesburg with her four children: two biological and two foster children.
Begin Within is a series to inspire a year-round lifestyle of gratitude that will impact not only your own life, but the lives of your neighbors as well. Gratitude is a theme we talk about often around here because it ties so closely into other missional living rhythms. Practicing gratitude reminds to keep our hearts soft and expectant and our eyes open. Therefore, the more we embrace gratitude, the easier it becomes to truly see our neighbors and where we can join what God is already doing in our neighborhoods.
My vision for this gratitude series is to help others embrace a year-round lifestyle of gratitude that will impact not only their own life, but the lives of their neighbors as well.
If you would like to contribute to Begin Within, you can find the submission guidelines here.
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If you would like to cultivate rhythms in addition to gratitude that will empower you live on mission in your neighborhood, check out Cultivating a Missional Life: A 30-Day Devotional to Gently Help You Open Your Heart, Home, and Life to Your Neighbors. This small book will help you make a big impact in your neighborhood as you learn to let missional living flow from the inside out. Get the 30-day missional living challenge free when you purchase the book.
