A Contagious Gratefulness

 

“O Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord;

Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;

let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.”  Ps. 95:1-3

 

A grateful heart is contagious.

There is so much talk in recent days about super spreaders.

 Let me ask you: are you contagious?

If so, what is the contagion you carry?

Is it gratitude?

Allow me to read something to you posted by Chris Vallotton recently on his FB feed. (If you don’t know who Chris Vallotton is, he is a Pastor and prophetic voice from Bethel Church in Redding California).

He posted this:

“I met a man in his 50s confined to a wheel chair a while back.

I heard that many years earlier he was in a car accident that crippled him.

He was left to provide for his wife and kids from that chair for the rest of his life!

I asked him how he was doing?

He smiled and said, “I am doing so good!”

“You are,” I questioned, wondering if he was being real?

“Yes, I feel great! He responded, smiling from ear to ear- his face glowing.

I stared at him awkwardly for a moment, sort of lost in his response.

“He’s doing so good yet he is handicapped, confined to that chair forever...how could he being doing good,” I pondered?

“And if he is doing “”so good,”” how come I am not soaring in my condition,”

I asked myself?

I walked away that day realizing that so much of life is determined by the way you think about it.

You can’t always help what happens to you but you can always help what happens in you.

I know others who have had everything handed to them their entire lives, yet they describe themselves as victims...life isn’t working out perfect for them and it’s someone’s else’s fault.

No matter how much you have been given, or how little you started with, life can be tough. And just about the time you start feeling sorry for yourself, some dude rolls up in his wheelchair smiling from ear to ear, and takes away all your excuses for not being thankful for God’s grace in your life.”

 

Let me read again one line from his post – Chris said:

You can’t always help what happens to you

but you can always help what happens in you.

So regardless of all the external circumstances, pressures and issues of life,

let me ask you: What is happening in you?

Are you thankful, content and filled with gratitude for what God has given you?

Sometimes it can be difficult to rise above our circumstances.

Chris observed someone who was grateful in spite of his circumstances.

Not only did he observe him, it caused Chris to evaluate his own attitude as well as the attitude he often saw in others.

We don’t have to be a victim.

Maybe we have had a hard season in life but as Chris pointed out –

You can’t always help what happens to you but you can always help what happens in you.

Allow the gratitude of others to rub off on you.

Greet the day, not with a grumble, but with praise to God for His goodness and mercy toward you. 

If grumpiness is contagious how much more so should gratitude be to those of us who call ourselves believers!