Things that I’m Grateful for

My coonhound Oliver is a good dog. When we went camping last month, he found himself a small, dirty rag to sleep on. He scratched at it from every direction, spinning round and round until the bed was just right, and then plopped down with a satisfied groan. This was not a groan of discontent, but rather an expression of gratitude. Oliver doesn’t care that his bed is a dirty old rag; he is simply being grateful for a master who feeds him and takes him camping.

So if a dog can be happy with so little, why are we so unappreciative? One little thing can send us flying over the edge. Perhaps it’s because we often get caught in a cycle of routine and dissatisfaction. We get up every morning because we have to, grumble our way through the day, and go to bed knowing that the same scenario awaits us tomorrow. This repetitive existence can cloud our ability to appreciate the small joys in life.

Adam and Eve found themselves in a similar situation in the Garden of Eden. They had so much to be grateful for but chose to rebel instead. All their needs were covered by God, yet they sampled the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, opening the gates of sin, and condemning man to a life of ingratitude. Instead of giving thanks for the Garden, Adam chose to blame God for his eviction. This reflects a fundamental human tendency to overlook abundance and focus on perceived shortcomings. It’s not that getting up in the morning is so difficult; it’s getting up knowing that we’re not going to receive what we believe we are entitled to from other people.

They say that the only guarantees in life are death and taxes, yet we expect much more than that from the people we deal with. We anticipate that others will guarantee our happiness, and when they don’t, our sense of entitlement grows, often leading to ingratitude. We experience life through the lens of our demands and struggle to balance our giving with others’ taking. When our perception of giving is overshadowed by what we perceive others take, we become ungracious and unappreciative of their efforts. We can’t control what others do, but we can control our reaction. If we don’t manage our reactions, feelings of entitlement lead to more disappointment and dissatisfaction.

Jealousy is a chief component of ingratitude. Shakespeare described jealousy and ingratitude as a green-eyed monster in Othello. The Bible says in James 3:16, “For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.” Envious people go through life angry over the seemingly unearned blessings given to others. They want the same advantages and resent people for what they have. It’s impossible to be grateful when you covet your neighbor’s belongings. By comparing what we don’t have to what others possess, we reduce our ability to appreciate the blessings in our own lives.

Many believe that money brings happiness because we have been indoctrinated to be good consumers, and success is often judged on a scale of financial wealth. However, the Bible tells us, “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” It also states in Matthew 6:19-20, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Gratitude provides perspective in life, and those who lack appreciation miss the big picture. Life is not all about personal gain. No one wants to associate with disagreeable people, and such individuals miss out on the connectivity that we all take for granted.

It’s distressing to think of all the good times forfeited because of ingratitude. No one likes to think of themselves as an ingrate, but according to a study conducted by the Royal Society Open Science, Americans were found to show gratitude “less than 14.5 percent of the time.” This means that approximately 85.5 percent of the time, Americans did not express gratitude and showed a lack of appreciation six times more often than they were grateful. This is a significant issue because ingratitude affects how we perceive our quality of life. My dad challenged us to compare our positive statements against our negative ones, suggesting a good ratio would be 10 to 1. I took him up on this challenge and found my ratio to be exactly 10 to 1—in the wrong direction! Nowadays, my goal is to bring that ratio to parity, or roughly one nice statement for every critical one. Just thinking something nice doesn’t count; you have to express it. With all the blessings we enjoy as Americans, it should be challenging to see everything in a negative light.

On the other hand, it’s easy to see things in a positive light, even when problems arise. My friend Julie is just like this. Even when something goes wrong, she looks for the silver lining. If she can’t find one, she states that something good will eventually come out of whatever she’s going through, as part of God’s master plan. According to R.L. Adams, “Gratitude can improve your life by strengthening your faith. There’s a deep appreciation for things that arise when people are grateful.” Gratitude can transform your faith by instilling the belief that you’re not alone; whatever you’re going through will pass, and you’ll emerge victorious.

You’ll accomplish your goals, overcome obstacles, and become a better person, more compassionate to the troubles of others. As a result, you will search for opportunities because you realize that what you have is truly enough, and that focus must be on caring for the spiritual and physical needs of others. That’s when true spiritual enlightenment begins. Gratitude is important because it gives us permission to finally be happy. Today, I am grateful for food, shelter, clothing; the list could continue forever. Unfortunately, for many, these luxuries don’t exist. But anyone’s list can be simpler than that. I’m also grateful that I can smile, that I can walk, or even that there is fresh air to breathe. Many times we forget about these things until they’re gone. Just like how my dog Oliver is extremely grateful for that small dirty rag, I can be grateful for the small things in my life. Oliver isn’t focusing on how he doesn’t have a five-star hotel bed to sleep on; he basks in the blissful ignorance of knowing his needs are covered.

He knows how fortunate he is to have a place to sleep at all. In the same way, we should count our blessings instead of our misfortunes. You will never run out of either, but I choose happiness. Gratitude can truly change and transform your life. But it doesn’t happen overnight. Even when things are going terribly, I know that I can be grateful for a God who cares. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” We always have things to be grateful for if we trust in the Lord. There is no need to force our adversary to do anything when God can shoulder the burden for us. Former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson has said, “Just do our best and let God do the rest.” When we truly put our troubles in God’s hands, we can afford to rest. Being grateful and content is not about what you have; it’s about who you are inside. Ungratefulness doesn’t happen by accident; we are part of why it happens. The Bible states in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.”

Whether you know it or not, you always have things to be grateful for. Did you see the sunrise this morning? It was beautiful. Whether you feel like it or not, still rejoice in the Lord. If you don’t feel like being grateful, then that’s even better because it’s a sacrifice. It can be something as simple as being grateful you didn’t honk at the person who took the last space in the mall parking lot. We can be grateful because we have a God who promises to protect us all the time. When we are grateful, our light shines through for others to see the work that Jesus does in our lives.

In conclusion, gratitude is a powerful tool that can transform our lives and our relationships with others. By shifting our focus from what we lack to what we have, we open ourselves to a world of positivity and fulfillment. Just like Oliver, who finds contentment in the simplest of things, we can learn to appreciate the small joys that life offers. Gratitude is not just an emotion; it is a choice, a practice that requires conscious effort and dedication. As we cultivate this habit, we not only improve our own lives but also inspire those around us to do the same. Let us strive to be more like Oliver, finding happiness in the present moment and embracing the abundance that surrounds us.

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