Good morning…
“Gratitude is a seed you plant,” said the minister at the celebration of Eliza’s twenty-eight year old life. “This seed grows up into joy. Radiant joy comes from planting small seeds of daily gratitude.” Though her body was riddled with cancer, Eliza’s radiant joy was unmistakably contagious.
This week Henri Nouwen also encourages us to plant seeds of gratitude in our everyday lives.
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DAILY MEDITATION | JULY 2, 2021 – The Choice of Gratitude by Henri Nouwen
Gratitude…goes beyond the “mine” and “thine” and claims the truth that all of life is a pure gift. In the past I always thought of gratitude as a spontaneous response to the awareness of gifts received, but now I realize that gratitude can also be lived as a discipline. The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy.
Gratitude as a discipline involves a conscious choice. I can choose to be grateful even when my emotions and feelings are still steeped in hurt and resentment. It is amazing how many occasions present themselves in which I can choose gratitude instead of a complaint. . . . The choice for gratitude rarely comes without some real effort. But each time I make it, the next choice is a little easier, a little freer, a little less self-conscious. . . . There is an Estonian proverb that says: “Who does not thank for little will not thank for much.” Acts of gratitude make one grateful because, step by step, they reveal that all is grace.
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As we spent a long weekend in Salt Lake City, Utah, we were challenged to put into practice these words of wisdom. Helping our friend who is dying from ALS was a bittersweet experience. Spurred on by God’s Spirit we planted seeds of gratitude.
Enjoying quality time with him, his wife, and their two daughters. Flipping through their wedding album, remembering that special day. Taking him on daily walks in his wheelchair. Soaking in the gorgeous landscape. Sharing stories. Running errands. Shopping for groceries. Cooking meals. Helping with caregiving needs. Pouring over fun photos from over the years. Laughing at old memories that will always live on. Broadening a meal train for ongoing support. Sharing zoom calls with high school and college friends. Enjoying the simple pleasure of eating outside. Borrowing a handicapped van and meandering through the nearby mountains.
On the side table by the guest bed, I left a small symbol of our love and a handwritten note for each of the family members. Sharing a tearful goodbye, my husband said, “If you outrun us to the Father’s house, we will see you on the other side.” For three cherished nights and four memorable days, we planted seeds of gratitude together, seeds which will grow into everlasting joy.
We do this because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus, and he will bring us into his presence along with you. All these things are for your benefit. As grace increases to benefit more and more people, it will cause gratitude to increase, which results in God’s glory.
So we aren’t depressed. But even if our bodies are breaking down on the outside, the person that we are on the inside is being renewed every day (2 Corinthians 4:14-16, CEB). Day after day, the person that we are on the inside is steadily renewed by God’s grace and radiant joy as we choose to plant seeds of gratitude in our ordinary lives.
…Sue…
