Gratitude

I recently heard a really fantastic sermon and I want to share one of the stories that the pastor told.

He said that over the holiday he and his family went to an island along the Northern coast. One morning he went out for a walk along the beach. For a long time he didn't see anyone else, just the birds and the ocean. Eventually he came upon a fisherman who had pulled his boat up on shore. As he approached, the man greeted him with "Donne-moi chapeau." (Give me [your] hat) He responded that he would love to give the man his hat but it was a special gift from his son, so he couldn't.

"Donne-moi argent." (Give me money)

This pastor knew the cultural differences, he was used to them, but he couldn't help being irritated. He pulled out his pockets and said, "See, I don't have any money. I've got some seashells in my pockets and if you want those you are welcome to them." The fisherman acted annoyed and said, "Donne-moi QUELQUE-CHOSE!" (Give me SOMETHING!)

The pastor walked away, utterly disgusted. The guy had never even bothered to ask his name, and then acted scandalized that he didn't give him a gift. As he walked he was grumbling about this when a thought struck him that almost knocked him to the sand- That was exactly how he often treated God. He too often rushed into prayer, asking God for this or that or the other thing and expecting God to answer PRONTO, even though he hadn't even tried to connect on a relational level. "Come on God, why are you slow? Can't you see I have important things to do today? Fork over the answers and lets get this show on the road!" Frankly, as the pastor noted, that kind of ungratefulness is sickening.

On the way back he came across another fisherman. He tried to walk around him but the man called out, "Bonjour!" Reluctantly the pastor stopped. The man proceeded to introduce himself and ask the pastor's name. Then he asked if the pastor would like to see his boat.

"Sure," the pastor said. So the guy showed him the boat, explained to him how the nets and tackle work, and made small talk for several minutes. The pastor was amazed at the contrast with the earlier fisherman. As they shook hands and parted ways the he was tempted to say, "Gee, could you please take my hat?" If hadn't been a gift from his son, he probably would have.

The pastor went on to say that gratitude is the soil out of which all of the fruits of the Spirit can grow. Without gratitude, those gifts will be stunted at best and may not grow at all. He gave us a challenge, which I have taken up at least once or twice a week. I'd like to do it every night. The idea is to each night think about one or two times during the day when I was ungrateful or lost my focus on the Lord and pray about them. Then I pick two things for which I am grateful and take some time to really focus on those things, contemplate how God has shown His goodness to me through them, and thank God for them.

My goal is to one day be able to say with Paul that "I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation." (Phil 4:12) Contentment and gratitude are the products of a life lived with a focus on God, not on circumstances. That is the secret to contentment, and even joy and gratitude, in the midst of hardship. Such a life is not natural for anyone, but anyone can learn it. Paul himself said "I have learned the secret." My prayer is that I will have the desire and discipline to learn it as well, and I think this little exercise is a good start.

For some great thoughts on gratitude in hardship, check out the latest post at intimate submission. Click here.