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Living a life of Gratitude 2:detours off the path

by Grace Tom-Lawyer  
6/03/2014 / Christian Living

"He fell flat on the ground in front of Jesus, face downward in the dust, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a despised Samaritan." Luke 17:16 TLB Living Bible

Gratitude is highly desirable in our daily relationships. But like most good attitudes, it may require a process of learning and cultivation which could sometimes be challenging. Recognizing some of the things that hinder us from being grateful can make us better prepared so that we are not detoured off easily from the path as we strive to become better.

The first I believe is the "comparison syndrome". As long as we continue to compare our lives with the seemingly more glamorous lives of others, we may never see reasons to be grateful. A wise person once said "the grass is always greener on the other side" and we may fail to appreciate the fact that at least we have grass which is green in our yard!

A sense of entitlement is another thing that could stop gratitude. I sometimes remember with regret receiving a present from one of my brothers when I was much younger and expressing a very flat "thank you" because I felt I deserved more. Although a wage has been rightly earned, there is still a place for gratitude for the opportunity to work.

I love to read books and one of the parts of a book that I enjoy reading is the Acknowledgement section. I like to see that the author has taken time to acknowledge the contributions of others. It takes a lot of humility to appreciate people and so pride sometimes can be a stumbling block to expressing gratitude.

Closely linked with pride is the "judging of motives" where there are preconceived views of the reasons of the actions of others which makes it a struggle to express gratitude genuinely. But the reality is none of us is qualified to judge motives as only God searches the heart, hence we should be prepared to express gratitude based on actions alone as our judgement may not always be correct.

Finally the "destination syndrome" can rob us of gratitude. It is "the I will be happy when" this or that happens, happy perhaps when I move into my own house or get married or have a child or have the long awaited job. All that robs us from expressing gratitude for today, gratitude that we are alive, in our right mind, able to read this article and to see clearly things that have been robbing us from gratitude.
Perhaps you know some other things that can stop the flow of gratitude, please do not hesitate to share them with us all.

Grace Tom-Lawyer is a writer who lives in the United Kingdom and loves to share a message that brings dignity to the lives of people with a passion for the practical application of Biblical truths in everyday living.
2014 Grace Tom-Lawyer. All rights reserved.
wwwflourish.blogspot.co.uk

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