Grateful and Content?

By Elizabeth Prata

I got up at 5:00, and made a pot of coffee, and turned on the Christmas lights in the dark morning. I’m sitting her watching the day light up, sipping coffee in the peace and quiet of low-volume cello music and the ticking coffee pot. I have a lot to be thankful for.

I was talking with a friend about how so many people complain. It’s always an attitude of “What have you done for me lately” rather than reflect or ponder what HAS been done for you, whether from a friend, family, colleagues, or stranger. And whether it was done for you recently or long ago. It seems that increasingly, people immediately forget right away the graciousness given to us in the form of gifts or time, or love or energy…

Not every gift to be grateful for has to be huge, like Oprah’s “You get a car! And you get a car!” A child shares a knock knock joke, a local merchant gave a discount, a bird tweeted in the fog, hearing laughter at work, a friend sent a card, your fridge is full of healthy food… Small daily gifts for which to be grateful.

But people are forgetting recent benevolence faster, while they expect future benevolence to increase in size, frequency and scope sooner.

We should be content with what we have, and when something good comes our way, be grateful. Remember our bounties.

How might we might endure and be faithful? 2 Timothy 2:8, “Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel.

Abner Chou on 2 Timothy 2:8 and endurance & remembering:
“-we remember him in his person
-we remember him in his power
-and we remember him in his preeminence.”

In that verse, Chou said, remember doesn’t just mean casually recollect, it’s a perpetually active verb meaning a deep intention, and usually tied to sanctification.

More below with Abner Chou sermon The Secret to Endurance.

I personally believe that two of the many secrets to endurance are contentment and gratitude. When you are content with what you have, your spirit isn’t restless and always seeking something else. When you’re grateful for what you have and for what is given to you, large or small, it infuses your spirit with new eyes and leads to contentment with what you have.

The biggest item we should be grateful for is our faith of course, a gift from above made possible by the sinless life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. We best show our gratitude by obedience.

John 14:15, If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.

“Obedience is the best way of showing our gratitude to God for His grace.” (John Owen Communion with God, p.140)

See in the meantime that your faith brings forth obedience, and God in due time will cause it to bring forth peace. ~John Owen