Why do we struggle to live a life of gratitude?
For most of our lives, we are geared and conditioned to living a life of regret, feeling the fear of the unknown and constantly being pressured to achieve more. The state of living in the moment and being thankful for our present circumstances is not a part of the upbringing of many people. Therefore, living in a constant state of gratitude has to be practiced, otherwise, cracks will appear in our lives, self doubt will begin the flourish just like weeds flourish in a garden when no attention is given to limiting their existence.
Anybody who practices gratitude can become prone to slipping into neglect. Even though I practice gratitude and give thanks to God for the life that has been given to me, I fail to see when I am travelling down the pathway of regret, disappointment, fear of the unknown and feeling sorry for myself and thinking that my life is too difficult.
Gratitude guards us from such pitfalls, yet it has to be practiced and become a mantra in our lives. We don’t realise that we are falling into the clutches of self pity, regret, fear, lack of confidence and an over occupation of self control. Gratitude is God’s gift to us. It is the hidden gem in the rock. The bright beautiful array of colour that an opal exhibits in a rock. It shines brightly, yet if we ignore it, we can become preoccupied with solving our own problems by ourselves and we do not allow God to enter into our lives with a gift that can release us from bondage and give us rejuvenation. Pastors and priests hardly mention the word in their sermons. Rather, they focus on individuals practicing repentance and ignore the power within living a life of gratitude.
For many years I have practiced gratitude and witnessed the fruits of my efforts. It has never been a mechanical practicing. It has been a practice of belief and a practice of joy which God has allowed me to see. Yet, we can never take our practice of gratitude for granted. Just as we can live this life of gratitude, we can slip away from it all too quickly if we lessen our focus on it.
We are most at risk when our circumstances change. We don’t see it happening but changes of circumstances can weaken our grip on gratitude. I can see how this has happened in my own life. Changes to our workplace, our financial circumstances, our relationships and our place of living can have affects on our lives that can weaken our grip on gratitude. Even our involvement with other people can weaken our grip. The thoughts of others and their beliefs can weaken our grip on what we know to be true.
When I look back over the past couple of years, I can see where my change of circumstances have affected me. A change of workplace with the dynamics of different people, circumstances, challenges, expectations and self doubt have affected me. A change to my social life where I attended a church community and became involved in worship and planning has affected my grip, and the challenges of moving house and dealing with financial challenges have weakened me as well.
I never anticipated all of this to weaken my grip but it has. Even though I continued to practice gratitude, my resolve in wanting to feel at peace and happy with my life started to slip away. So I became a walking contradiction. I believed that I was practicing gratitude but in reality I was slipping away into a world of distrust, self pity, loneliness and self absorption. Living in a state of constant gratitude can never be taken for granted. If it is, then we run the risk of going down the road most travelled by others.
Nobody can spare us from these dilemmas. Just as the fire is central to the furnace, so too is life’s dilemmas central to sharpening our approach and crystallising our belief in gratitude. Gratitude guides us through toil. It is God’s gift for us and once recognised, it can never be withdrawn. It returns to us and guides us and God’s love and care once again settles in our soul and we realise just how loved and cared for we are.
Gratitude restores our faith and belief that we are truly cared for. Regardless of our circumstances, God loves us and reciprocates love back to us just as a mirror reflects back our image. We are never alone. Once we live a life of gratitude, we recognise the beauty of life all around us, and self absorption, self pity, regret and the fear of the unknown fall away just as weeds are controlled. They might never be eradicated but they can be controlled.
Looking forward, gratitude is a life style and a gift. It is the Jewel of the Nile, the speck of gold in the rock. Until we choose to allow ourselves to practice it, we will never give ourselves an opportunity to experience the richness that comes from it. My wish for you is for you to experience what I experience. No church or religion will give you the richness of this experience. It is intensely personalised and links you to the very essence of joy that the spiritual world holds. Practice it today. Give thanks to God for our universe. Give thanks to life for the beauty of creation and live in this stream of appreciation regardless of what circumstances surround you. Do this, and witness a change to your life that you never thought possible.