The Heart of Gratitude
“O Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” Psalm 118:1
A member of the congregation which I pastor said to my wife recently, “pastoring during the pandemic really seemed to have aged your husband.” He wasn’t wrong. There are a few more grey hairs in my beard than there were 7 months ago. I was unprepared and ill-equipped for the challenges created by the COVID disruption to my work and home life. I have been wearied and exhausted. I know my experience is not unique.
The pandemic and its ripple effects has taken a toll on our sense of well-being physically, emotionally, and for many, financially. It has exposed just how fragile our lives can be. This may lead, on the one hand, to a greater sense of anxiety; and on the other hand, a greater sense of clarity about what really matters in this life. In truth, we likely fluctuate between the two states of mind. Given the year we have had so far it is not hard to imagine that gratitude may be the furthest thing from your mind. Yet perhaps it more vital now more than ever. Thanksgiving can help guard our hearts against anxiety and help invest our hearts in the things that really matter.
Gratitude is a posture of the heart. Our hearts get attached to things—they were designed for this. We attach our hearts to things that we believe will give us significance, value and worth: our health, our jobs, and our loved ones. But these things cannot bear the weight of the investment because they are not guaranteed to last forever. When these things are under threat, anxiety will invade our hearts. When these things fail, our hearts will fail with them. A posture of gratitude helps put things in their proper place—good things to enjoy, rather than ultimate things to protect—and thus, we will be better able to handle life’s changes and challenges without being overcome by anxiety.
Gratitude acknowledges that everything is a gift. This includes both the things we enjoy and even the difficulties we must endure. I am not suggesting that hardships are good gifts in themselves—there are some gift we may not want to receive—but rather, that hardships can refine us and re-connect us to what really matters in life, in surprising ways that might not have been possible if the hardship had never been endured. The gift is not an end in itself. We don’t say thank you to the gift but to the giver of the gift. The heart of gratitude is to know that every gift is given for our ultimate good and presents us with the opportunity to give thanks to the Giver.
As a pastor, I am grateful for the gifts I have received in this difficult season, they have reminded me to focus on what truly matters in life. I respectfully acknowledge that not everyone will share my beliefs. Others may have questions left unanswered by the brevity this reflection. I welcome your feedback. Thank you for taking the time to read it.
If you want to learn more about the Christian perspective on gratitude please contact me though our church website www.graceanglicancalgary.ca.
The Reverend Rob Stringer,
Grace Anglican Church Calgary
In-person and live streaming on Sundays from the Deer Run Community Centre at 10 am.
.
