Gratefulness Provides and Atmosphere for Change

Did you realize that gratefulness provides an atmosphere for change? I don’t think we realize that when we are grateful for what God has given us instead of complaining about what we don’t have we put God in a position to bless us. I can remember growing up when I would complain about something with my parents that they would be less and less likely to give me what I wanted. They loved me too much to give in to me complaining. If they would have said, “Brian, you have complained so much that now we are going to do what you want” then they would have taught me nothing and would have trained me to just complain to them and get my way. Why would I expect my relationship with God to be any different? If I just complain to him about my situation instead of looking to see how it can make me stronger then I am expecting him to be a crappy father and just give me my way because I want it. Also, I don’t know Gods master plan for me and I can’t see my life from beginning to end to know what is going to happen. I don’t know if my medical condition right now is for some greater good that I cant see (no pun intended) and I will look back on this episode of my life and actually thank God for what I went through. I told my wife the other day that before I got sick that I was pretty much a spiritual loser. We laughed about it, but I really think that I have had to evaluate my attitude with God these past two years and take a long hard look at what is inside me and question whether or not I am operating everyday at “full gratefulness”. It really is something to ask yourself and evaluate your attitude with God. Will I be thankful for what God has given me and believe for His best for me, or will I continue to complain about where I feel like He has me and stretch out the growing process until I “get it”? The other thing about my opening statement is that I didn’t say that gratefulness changes the atmosphere; I said that it PROVIDES for change. Just because my attitude is right doesn’t mean that things will change. I think this fact is actually harder than keeping a positive attitude about life. I want to know that God is thankful that my attitude is right and then reward me for my “hard work”. Our greatness will never be realized until we understand that God is the only greatness in us and His ways are not just literally but in every sense of the word higher than our ways.