“Gratitude will change your attitude. Take inventory of your blessings.” 

My maternal grandmother wrote those words to me in the blank space beneath a short, one-page story she found called “Forgive Me When I Whine.” I saved that paper and posted it to my wall in my bedroom. The story, and my grandmother’s wise words handwritten at the end, live beyond her passing away a few years ago.

Grandmother’s Passed-Forward Story

The story itself presents three scenarios through the point of view of the same observer that show why it’s important to be grateful to God for the blessings He’s given to you.

Scenario #1 paints the picture of the observer admiring a lovely lady on the bus and being envious. The observer wishes she was as beautiful as that woman. But as the woman stands to leave when the bus stops, the observer notices she only has one foot and uses a crutch. This causes the observer to ask God for forgiveness for whining because she does have two feet and can walk well.

Scenario #2 shows the observer admiring the young man at the sweet shop who was taking his order for sweets. The man was so happy and filled with cheer. When the observer complimented this man, she saw that the man was blind. This caused the observer to thank God for the gift of sight.

Scenario #3 pictures the observer noticing a young boy who wasn’t playing with his friends on the playground. When the observer tries to talk to the child with encouraging words to move him to be social and enjoy life, she finds out that the child is deaf. The observer then thanks God that she can still hear through both ears.

The short story ends with the observer expressing gratitude for the God-given gifts of sight, hearing and mobility that comes with having two feet that function well. The reader is then advised by the writer that being thankful helps you more than being apathetic. And then my grandmother’s words about gratitude changing your attitude are a reminder to me personally to maintain a grateful outlook on life.

There is Always Hope

Over the years, I’ve found my grandma’s shared story and personal note to me to be not only helpful but true! How easy is it for us—especially in our modern-day times—to become so overwhelmed and burdened by the woes of this world that our hearts grow cold and we start to express apathy and cynicism? Too easy!

Even the most faithful followers of Jesus Christ who are usually kind and exhibiting a positive outlook on life can fall victim to seeing life through a negative lens when trauma, tragedy, suffering, pain and injustice enter the picture. But as I like to say: There’s always hope when Jesus Christ is in the picture and the good news is, He’s always in the picture!

This message today is for me as much as it is for you. Lately, I’ve been struggling to maintain a positive outlook on life because life has been hitting hard. But as I quiet down and turn down the volume of messages from the world down to silence, and I make an effort to be still and know that God is Sovereign (Psalm 46:10), then I am reminded that no matter how chaotic our world becomes, we can still have complete peace when we fix our eyes on Jesus and remember that this Earth is not our home.

We as followers of Jesus Christ have so much to look forward to: Eternal life with Christ in Heaven where there is no pain, sickness, suffering, injustice or any other evil situation that sin has caused to happen during our experience on Earth. And we can look forward to the Earth made new!

Imagine this world in a state of sheer perfection with all of the breathtaking beauty in nature and resources restored to how God created it all to be. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 2:9 (NLT), “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.” God is going to exceed our greatest expectations of eternal life spent in His Presence. When I get to heaven, the first thing I want to do is give Jesus a big hug and thank Him for always being there for me! It will be the ultimate expression of gratitude.

But while living on Earth and waiting for Jesus to return to take His faithful followers home to heaven, we can still have hope despite our dire circumstances. One way to keep hope alive is to practice gratitude.

Practicing Gratitude

Years ago, after reading a nonfiction book by Ann Voskamp titled, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are, I took her advice in the book about starting to keep a journal that listed at least one thousand gifts I am grateful for. It took me a few years but by the time I wrote down the thousandth gift, my heart was full. And as I practiced this gratitude exercise a few times a week, my perspective was renewed.

I started to see life through a lens that showed me all the good our God is doing in this world. Seeing that motivated me to focus on what God is doing, not what the devil is scheming. And it encouraged me to take inventory of my blessings, just like my grandma said when she was living. This helped my life become beautiful again.

In closing, I’d like for you to listen to the song “Thank You” by The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir.

My prayer is that God will encourage your heart and renew your perspective as you practice having an attitude of gratitude. God bless you!

Meet Alexis A. Goring

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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.

If you would like to contribute to Begin Within, you can find the submission guidelines here.