An Attitude of Gratitude

This has been a challenging year! It’s certainly not what many people expected when 2009 kicked off with the inauguration of our nation’s first black president amidst promises of hope and change. The problems we face are enormous – trillions of dollars in government debt, record unemployment, a health care reform package being passed through Congress in spite of opposition by a majority of Americans. Perhaps you, or someone you know, has lost their home to foreclosure or is currently unemployed as we approach the national holiday designated as a time of thanksgiving.

It is natural to feel stress and anxiety when difficulties are real and personal; when the problems are so large and daunting. Few of us think words of gratitude at times like this but perhaps that is just the prescription when hope seems lost. Might this year’s Thanksgiving season offer an opportunity to reorient our view of the world and our own situation?

As someone with a strong faith perspective I am amazed by the many expressions of gratitude found in the Psalms and other Biblical texts. These ancient writers often wrote their words of praise and thanksgiving in the face of adverse and challenging circumstances. There were no “rose colored” lenses obscuring their view of the world. Instead the focus on gratitude, in spite of problems, seems intentional; a kind of therapeutic approach that changed the writer’s attitude about what they were experiencing.

What might happen if we followed their example in the midst of anxiety and began thanking God for the things that are still going well in our life? What would your list include? I’m thankful for a loving family, a supportive spouse, a large group of committed friends. I’m grateful for good health, food and shelter, a steady job. I’m thankful for quiet morning walks and the beauty of dew on the grass. My list could go on and on. Each of us can think of items large and small for which we are appreciative.

If every day was spent acknowledging what we already have to be grateful for might our stresses and burdens grow lighter? If we paid attention to the small acts of kindness that come our way might our relationships grow stronger? If delight, wonder, and awe became part of our daily landscape once again, would it make a difference in how we experience life? Could an attitude of gratitude be the secret to enduring these especially difficult times? Thanksgiving 2009 seems like a good time to test the premise.