Jeff said something last week that’s stuck with me–ungrateful people do not understand the gospel. He may have said it more positively–grateful people understand the gospel–I can’t remember, but it stuck with me. It’s been on my mind and heart all week, especially as we celebrate Thanksgiving, and I contemplate what it means to be thankful, how we express thankfulness, and how we cultivate thankfulness.
As I mentioned in the previous post, yesterday and today mark such a sharp contrast:Thanksgiving and Black Friday. The one day we are supposed to devote to expressing our thankfulness for all we have, and the one day we are supposed to feverishly shop at an ungodly hour of the morning, frantically stocking up on things we’ll supposedly die without. (For the sake of full disclosure I admit that since we’re in Bend I went to one store today–the Carter’s outlet store for their 50% off everything sale–because Dutch’s shoes, pajamas, socks, and pants are all too small. I knew it was time yesterday when he started crying when I put his jeans on because they were too tight around the waist and I could hardly pull his jammies up over his shoulders) After one store I was exhausted and had seen enough people to last me the week, so we drove back home and hibernated the rest of the day. 🙂 Again, this post isn’t about harping on bargain shoppers or making you feel guilty if you shopped ’til you dropped today. It’s just about gratefulness, and the massive newspaper filled with advertisements for Black Friday, along with the throngs of people swarming around crowded stores, reminded me what an interesting culture we live in.
So Kari, what does this have to do with the gospel? Everything. I have a dear dear friend who is the epitome of thankful contentment to me. She has a hard time even thinking of things she needs or wants, she’s just that content. I can say that I’ve tasted some of this, and that I have my moments, but I don’t always live in that place of absolute fullness where I can say with David, “I shall not want.”