Gratitude and Happiness
Gratitude
Elie Weisel, the famous Concentration Camp survivor, said that a person is more defined by his gratitude than by any other characteristic.
St. Paul seemed to think the same thing in I Thessalonians 5:16-18 “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
It can be pretty hard to remember to be grateful all the time – and we don’t just forget to be grateful in the hard times, but even in the good times. Think of the time Jesus healed the ten lepers. They’ve just been healed of a devastating, terminal illness, and yet how many of them remember to go back and say “Thank you”? Just one! That’s it! Something got in the way of their gratitude, and something gets in the way of ours; something makes us forget to say Thank You, and so blocks our happiness. What is it?
Spiritual Discouragement
We’ve all got a lot of issues…We suffer from pettiness, envy, resentment, ambition, addiction, frustration, etc... That means it’s going to be a constant temptation for each of us to give in to spiritual discouragement. And understandably so: Jesus is calling us to perfect love, perfect obedience, perfect imitation of Him. Wow! We’ve got a long way to go.
In fact, we’ve got so long to go, that we may start to wonder whether this whole Christian business is really working. Sometimes we look out at the world, we look at the scandals in the hierarchy, at the brokenness of Christian families and individuals we know, and at the sickness in our own soul, and we might be tempted to say, “Lord, You said you came to heal us, to transform us. But we’re not healed! We’re a mess! So where’s the transforming power of Your Gospel and Your Church?”
But God’s answer is very simple, and very clear. It’s this: Ask yourself where you would be right now if you’d never known Christ. If you didn’t know God loved you and had a plan for you. If you didn’t know Heaven awaited.
Nine of those lepers were probably thinking about how far they still had to go to get their lives in order. There were a lot of people they had to get back in touch with. Did they have houses they could go back to? Could they get their old jobs back? Whoah, they had a lot to do. Only one of them stopped to think of where he would be right now if he’d never met Christ. The answer: he’d be literally falling apart.
When I shift my thinking from I have so far to go! to Where would I be right now if it weren’t for Jesus I’m overwhelmed with the need to say Thank You. Actually, I’m overwhelmed with joy.
Worldly Dissatisfaction
Another thing that can kill our gratitude is the “I just need” syndrome.
Norman Rockefeller was the world’s first billionaire. An interviewer once asked him “How much more money do you really need?” Rockefeller answered, “I just need one more dollar.”
Rockefeller was giving expression to his deep addiction to money. Obviously, if one billion dollars didn’t satisfy him, one more dollar wasn’t going to. And yet that’s the way the “I just need” syndrome works.
“I just need to finish my degree. I just need to get a job. I just need to get a mortgage, I just need to pay off the mortgage. I just need to keep the kids alive till I send them to school. I just need to get the kids through grade-school, through high-school, through college. I just need to make it to retirement. I just need to get through the day, I just need to get through this week…I just need!
But to act as though after that one thing you’re going to be happy is just as absurd as Rockefeller thinking he’ll be happy after one more dollar. Think of all the times you’ve made it to that one thing “you just need.” Have you suddenly transformed into a happy, grateful person? Obviously not. So why think anything will change when you get this new thing, which, according to you, is all you need?
The best thing you can do to restore gratitude is to find that thing that you tend to say “I just need...” about. Then topple that lousy idol, attack the illusion that this thing can give you happiness, and get busy being grateful for everything you have.
Living in the Future Blocks Gratitude.
We live in the future rather than the present. We live in fear of the future, anticipate the future, try to control the future and then we never live because its impossible to live in the future when only the present exits. Surrender the future into the hands of God your Father. Practice living in the present moment by constant gratitude for Happiness Follows Gratitude
Unblock: “Count Your Blessings”
Sit before Our Lord in prayer and write down twenty-five things that you’re grateful for. Trust me, it won’t take very long, but when you’re done I’ll bet you’ll be pretty surprised to see how blessed you’ve been. When I’ve done it I’ve been able to feel the charge of goodness pulsing in me and in the world for at least a couple hours afterwards.
Also, when you’ve got your list, put it in your pocket or your purse or your wallet, and keep it there for a couple days. You’ll find it becomes difficult to complain or fall into self-pity when you’ve got that list floating around beside you, just waiting for you to pull it out, silently reminding you that you have so much to be happy about.