Gratitude: the attitude that gives altitude

A Thanksgiving reflection from Darren Bosch of DeliberateU

This weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving.  Leading up to this, I have been reflecting on how in business, and life in general, we're presented with deep challenges and rich opportunities.  

Challenges to experience the reality of Psalm 23: "I have all I need".  

Opportunity to cultivate an "Attitude of Gratitude", because it brings oxygen.

GRATITUDE: 

Embraced, it provides life.  

Ignored, we are left wanting, wondering if there was to be more.

Think about it.  It’s pretty easy to be grateful when things are rolling along and we're clearly experiencing God’s favour. It’s another thing when under difficult pressure.  

This past week we held a Mid-life Getaway for Christian Leaders up in Muskoka, Ontario.  Faithful (and grateful) leaders expressed the reality of dealing with accumulated disappointments from challenges God has put on their path.

I wonder how it is for you?  What does gratitude look like when?:

• A key team member suddenly gives notice, when you are already short-staffed
• A large client cancels their project, putting cash flow and revenue at risk
• Your loans are barely touching principal with rising interest rates and inflation... and presumably, little light at the end of the tunnel!

This is real stuff.  These are real stories I hear from clients - and experience myself!  Yet the apostle Paul’s challenging words in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NLT remind us that we are to choose gratitude in all circumstances, even in those real-life situations listed above.

STORY: let me share a quick story...

I was meeting with a Christian leader whose immediate need was his sense of well-being. He knew he needed to rediscover that space of gratitude where he could once again:

1. Find joy in his Lord for strength
2. Live in the beauty of who he is in Jesus
3. Have the capacity to serve his family and team well

He was courageously stepping into deep, personal, meaningful work. The fruit was evident!  This fruit was growing because of a shift in a number of very focused, deliberate attitudes and actions.  Faithful, hard work, but so rewarding!  It was giving him and those entrusted in his care: oxygen!

Without question, he was experiencing a "gratitude moment" that was real, personal, and full of meaning.  It was as if the very real pain of his situation as a man, both in business and within his family, was displaced. In that moment Psalm 46:10 had become real again as he chose to "be still" and "know" his God. It was clear that gratitude had found its way back to the center of who he was.

I am moved by the gift of God's grace that provides the space and means to "be transformed by the renewing of our minds" (Romans 12:1-2 NLT). I am moved again by the truth that we do not need to stay stuck. I am grateful to experience again the reality of our God breaking through and reigniting faith, hope, and love.

5 REASONS FOR GRATITUDE:  

God’s call in the midst of difficult circumstances

1. Gratitude provides Strength: God is in control of all things; you are not. He will strengthen and help you as you surrender. Isaiah 41:10 NIV
2. Gratitude lets God step in: God is an ever-present help in times of trouble. Psalm 46:1 NIV
3. Gratitude is the "Attitude that gives you Altitude": You have an opportunity to improve and grow when circumstances are difficult. We are to be grateful for pressure. James 1:2-4 NIV
4. Gratitude is a choice. The capacity in us to choose is so very powerful. God is clear that He is asking us to choose to "be thankful". When we make this choice we connect with Him, with ourselves, and with those around us. The impact is profound.
   
5. Gratitude is NOT ignoring difficulty. You are blessed when you are at the “end of your rope”.  There is more room for God in your life and your work. Matthew 5:3 MSG. This reality challenges many of us. Often, we are not sure how to live with the tension of difficulty and, at the same time, find gratitude through and beyond the challenges being faced. Gratitude is not a denial of circumstance. It is a recognition that the One who made you is more than capable of providing all that you need so that you can "take heart" in the midst of the circumstance. 

There is something very beautiful in the offering of humble gratitude regardless of circumstance. Jesus was so very aware of this the night before he died. In John 16:33 He reminds us that, in spite of challenge and tremendous difficulty, we can "take heart because He has overcome the world". 

DELIBERATE REFLECTION:

1. Download our Gratitude Worksheet
2. Block & protect some time this weekend for some gratitude work.  It will bring oxygen!