Widening Circle of Gratitude

 

 

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others ~ Cicero

 

As we enter the month of June, I invite you to reclaim gratitude as a source of the Sacred.  In many ways this builds upon the Easter Sunday invitation of completing the sentence, “I have seen the Lord…” every day.  This continues to build upon the invitation to examine and explore what is being caught in the net of your life.  When we only focus on what is missing, incomplete, not enough, the tangled/twist tears in the net of life, we will end up seeing only what is lacking.  We can end up seeing ourselves as missing, incomplete, and not enough.  In some ways it is a chicken and an egg issue.  Do we project our own feelings of “less than” on the world, finding more than enough evidence by just scanning the headlines?  Or does the daily encounter with the world, which is so hurting and full of harm, cause our souls to ache?  Or is it both?

 

Gratitude can be a prayer practice and posture to see deeper.  For those who already feel like your mind is raising objections to practicing thanksgiving, there is good science behind gratitude.  Go ahead, Google that…you will find scientific research that noticing and naming the good is healthy and healing.  The daily practice of finding “reasonably happy” is a holy way to live.  We need to be careful not to be tripped up or trapped by either/or thinking.  Even things that are amazing (example: ice cream) have a downside (ice cream headaches or extra calories if I eat too much).  But on a humid Florida day when I feel the cool refreshing Cookie Two-Step ice cream on the tip of my tongue ~ well I taste heaven while still on earth. 

 

For each of us to name and claim gratitude for the people and places that fill our hearts, even when it would be hard for us to give a rationale for why this person or place is so meaningful.  Why does preaching on Sunday morning make my soul sing?  Why does listening to “O Love” by Elaine Hagenberg bring joyful tears to my eyes?  Why does laughing feel like a holy act of rebellion in the world today?

 

Yes, I could answer those questions with more words.  OR I could invite you to join me in sharing your gratitudes and thanksgivings.  To do that, would fill me with gratitude and would be a way to see the Lord as we prepare for Pentecost this coming Sunday.  May you feel the singing swell of thanksgiving filling your hearts during these summer months.  Amen.