Ever been disappointed with a gift?
Of course, most of us have had the joy of anticipation fade into a lukewarm smile as we’ve unwrapped a gift to discover a pair of socks, a fruit cake, a seasonal sweater, or tacky tie!
Bad gifts aside, why are we so unthankful? It’s not enough to merely identify selfishness and discontentment as the primary reasons we are not thankful. There are deeper, more nefarious attachments that keep our hearts from landing on gratitude and, subsequently, expressing our thanksgiving.
1-Greed. Face it, we live in a greedy culture that cheats, lies, steals and Ponzi schemes it’s way to the top of the financial resource pyramid. We are more concerned with heaping up rather than dishing out. The unending desire for more and more keeps our focus not on what we have, but what we don’t have. Greed is an unquenchable thirst that materialism can never slake. Greed is a companion of jealousy. Curing greed inevitably requires generosity.
2-Expectations. When our expectations go wrong, our annoyance turns into bitterness and anger. Frustration becomes rage. And unfulfilled dreams turn to disappointment, discouragement and despair. We moan and bemoan our potential loss and find that our expectations failed us and that which we do have is unsatisfying. The experience of being let down/dissappointed by our expectations foster discontenment.
3-Indulgence. When we indulge, we plunge–total immersion. This immersion demands our thoughts and attention. We are unable to see that we currently have or the value therein. Indulgence has a way of turning us over to our senses. Conscience becomes impaired or warped and we long for things that have passed or we shouldn’t even pursue. Every thought, whim or fancy becomes our new “passion.” Beware of your passions, lest they impassion you to folly.
4-Sloth. Sloth is the old word for laziness. When you don’t work hard for something, the value of that thing is diminished. A “take-it or leave-it” attitude is quick to appear and value is little importance. When you value you something, it is often easier to be thankful for something. When you take something for granted, it is easy to de-value it and thus ingratitude follows. The cure for sloth is hard work.
The cure for ungratefulness is selflessness. When you are selfless, you have an innate capacity for greater love, joy, honor, mercy, forgiveness, and thankfulness.
Philippians 2:4 “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.”