Barriers to Gratitude

The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me; to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!” Psalm 50:23

Speaking of gratitude, have you ever noticed how much more thankful a humble person is than a prideful one? Humility helps a heart see clearly all that they have...even the tiniest of things.  The heart swells with gratitude. But pride makes a heart feel entitled, and there is no gratitude from a heart that feels it deserves, thus is owed. It's a miserable place to be. 

Gratitude not only shows up in our attitude, but it also sparks close communion with God. I have noticed this in my own life. The more humble I am, the more thankful I become and the better I hear the Holy Spirit. And it becomes a sweet, joy-filled cycle. The more I commune with God, the more humbled and thankful I become. Honestly, I have never known a greater joy than this. It beats any idea of happiness I ever entertained. 

This is a key place for every heart to bookmark, stop and examine itself closely. No heart of flesh is perfect. Many ugly things hide in the crevices. The good news is that we can choose to be humble and thankful. We can choose our position on all matters; It's a God-given right. But it would be prideful to suggest that we can choose and adopt His ways totally on our own. We have to ask for help, but we also have to be willing to take gigantic steps of faith when called upon. 

Therefore, this is the point at which I ask you to partner with me in examining your heart for pride as I examine mine. It has to be a lifelong process though. This isn't about competing and comparing, but working as a community to encourage one another to grow closer to God by honoring Him, by recognizing that He is perfect in all of His ways. His ways are higher than ours, more than our human minds can comprehend. And He promises to do right by us. He is faithful. He is good. And He is worthy of our gratitude.