Praise the Lord! How good it is to sing praises to our God. Psalm 147:1
Paul wrote: Speak to one another with the words of psalms, hymns, and sacred songs; sing hymns and psalms to the Lord with praise in your hearts. Ephesians 5:19 (GNT)
REFLECTION:
One of my favorite topics is gratitude. I am at my best when I am grateful. I believe this to be true for all of us. When we are counting what we HAVE instead of what we DON'T HAVE, we are bound to be the best versions of ourselves.
I was converted to this idea late one night in college, as I walked back to my dorm.
My girlfriend and I had just had a big fight. When I left her dorm, I was feeling heavy and dark, like something that really mattered to me might be "over." But as I walked, I remember thinking the only way to make it through hard things is to count my blessings for all the things that aren't hard. At the time, I would have told you I had no idea where that thought came from. Now I know, because the steps of that walk have extended into my entire life. I have no doubt the Spirit whispered something to my soul that night; something I needed to hear then, and still need to hear now.
It occurred to me that I should try to use the rest of the 10-minute walk to list everything I had to be grateful for.
At first, I hit the easy things; friends, family, health...but then I still had 9 minutes left to walk. So, I challenged myself to fill every step of that walk with a list as long as I could muster of everything for which I was grateful.
So, I thanked God for sufficient footwear that made this walk comfortable, knowing full well that many in the world lack this. I thanked God for the bed I would sleep in that night, for the blanket that was on that bed, and for the hands that made that blanket. I thanked God for the meal I had just eaten, and the ones I would eat tomorrow...and for the many hands of farmers, workers, and cooks who would be part of bringing that meal to my plate.
On and on I went, and what began as a heavy and slow walk began to pick up pace. I noticed my steps were lighter, and my attitude had shifted from darkness to light. I felt as though someone had taken 50 pound bags off of my shoulders, and before I knew it, I was back at my dorm. The rest of the walk had flown by, and I still had so much more to list!
I was converted that night to the true spiritual power of gratitude. And I felt like praising. No, I didn't break out in hymns right there...that's not the point of the scriptures above. The point is...gratitude. The point is taking a break from the we-don't-have-enough-of-anything narrative that surrounds us to pause and count our blessings.
It sounds trite, because everyone says it. But the next time you find yourself feeling heavy and dark, just try it. Try listing, in detail, every little thing for which you are grateful. I would bet you all the money in my bank account that afterward, you will feel lighter, brighter, and deeply grateful. You might not break into song right there, but you'll understand the feelings of those who have written the greatest hymns.
PRAYER:
O God from whom all blessings flow, when the echoes of songs and praises from Sunday grow dim, revive them in our hearts and minds. May the songs of grace accompany us to our classrooms, offices and homes this day. Amen.*
*Prayer taken from the Moravian Daily Texts
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