But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.-Hebrews 5:14
Can your perspective on life affect the thankfulness of your heart?
My oldest daughter walked into the kitchen and caught me considering several different recipe cards, trying desperately to find some inspiration to cook dinner. I had no appetite, nothing sounded good and inwardly I was grumbling about all of the kids I was responsible to feed and why we couldn’t afford to just eat out instead. She looked at me with car keys in her hand, about to head out the door to work on the horse farm for a couple of hours. “Hey Mama, could you make something with chicken maybe? Pretty please?” I looked up to find a huge goofy smile on her face. Anything with chicken; that was her favorite meal, more than anyone else I knew. Not wanting to commit to anything, I softly said, “Maybe, we’ll see,” as she walked out.
The door closed and it hit me, she would be leaving for college in just a few weeks. There wouldn’t be many more days of her coming and going and making dinner requests. In a moment my perspective changed, one second I was complaining and feeling sorry for myself and the next, I was rejuvenated and thankful to have children at home to cook for. I decided I was going to make her favorite meal and savor these last few dinners we had as a whole family. It made me smile to think of us all sitting around the table laughing and sharing about our day.
Having a thankful heart is about perspective. My situation did not change that evening, I still had to cook dinner, yet the way I viewed the task had dramatically changed.
Let’s be honest, we know when we are acting in a manner that is not going to make God smile and we must tell ourselves to, “Stop it! Snap out of it!”. The Bible tells us that mature Christians must train themselves to distinguish good from evil. Don’t we want to be spiritually mature and not act like some whiny toddler? Complaining and having a grumpy spirit is not good and does not come from The Lord.
When you’re stuck in a traffic jam, are you grumbling or thanking God for a possible hardship He may be protecting you from? When you have a huge pile of laundry and your phone keeps dinging with emails from work, are you thankful you have loved ones to take care of and a job to pay your bills? The next time you find yourself inwardly grumbling, start to count your blessings and suddenly your perspective will change. Train yourself to thank Him in the mundane moments of life instead. When we start to Thank Him, it’s hard to be grumpy or upset because you realize just how loved you are!
What mundane tasks in life do you grumble about the most? Share at least three reasons you can be thankful for that task.
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About the Author: Marion Lambertus is happily married with five children. She homeschools her children, teaches the Middle School girls at her church, runs her own photography business and enjoys writing when she can find the time. Most importantly, she loves Jesus and desires to be used by Him to reach others for His kingdom.
