It's America's 250th birthday today - Happy Birthday America! Do we give thanks for our country and all the freedoms we have here? I hope so. For, we often take for granted all that we have and for the lives of people who have come before us who stood up to protect it over our short history.
The idea of thankfulness and gratitude seems to get washed away in our culture. However if we are Christians, gratitude should be the centre of our prayers and daily life. The more we think about the graces and mercy God has shown us, the more we see His presence in our daily lives. In that sense, the more awake we become.
The person who is filled with gratitude toward God, whose life is permeated by this primary attitude of gratitude, is also the only person who is truly awake.
- Dietrich von Hildebrand
Our spirits become enriched when we live in a place where gratitude to God and to others becomes the norm we wake up to and reflect on. When we devote thought and time to such a stance, we are able to see the good in front of us and are more open to being a bearer of the good that we can bestow onto others.
When we are fully aware how God's love surrounds us, gratitude is the response that comes out of our hearts with this knowledge of the good gifts He has given us. When we are filled with gratitude, we become great and expansive, as Hildebrand wrote. When we are thankful, we recognize we possess no right before God and all is gift from God, out of His goodness. He wants us to be filled with goodness and share that with others.
Hildebrand wrote that only the person who is filled with gratitude toward God is truly awake. The opposite would be someone who is always living in the periphery and takes everything for granted.
Summer is a time I find it difficult to give thanks every morning and evening. Summer heat and sun take a toll on me, it's like the opposite of those who struggle in the winter with grey sky and no sun. I struggle in the summer with intense heat and sun. I rejoice when the clouds come and rain falls for hours in a gentle soaking.
Yet I know that when I take a moment to watch the sunrise or sunset a smile emerges on my face because I instantly turn to thank God for such a beautiful reminder of His gift of the morning/evening and the gifts of nature we take for granted everyday. I love how the summer sun tucks away behind the taller buildings, creating a silhouette of downtown. Recognizing this removes any apathy I feel toward the Summer weather and makes me blissfully aware how the infinite love and mercy of God is present in every moment of every day and night. Then this thankfulness becomes an expression of my heart, which shows up in all other areas of life.
Have a blessed 4th of July weekend, and remember to take moments for gratitude.
