A Call to Gratitude
“Sacrifice thank offerings to God…” Psalm 50:14
During the season of Lent I usually “give up” something (like desserts) and also try to “take up” something. I’ve chosen this year to read a number of books. One of these is Inhabiting Eden: Christians, The Bible, and the Ecological Crisis by Patricia K. Tull. Early in this book Tull writes about gratitude and Creation. She says “Gratitude is a most appropriate response for us as inhabitants of this world, a home we neither bought nor paid for nor could ever have designed.” She goes on to say, “We were intended to draw sustenance from creation’s bounty. With each breath, we take in God’s provision of air; with each drink, the precious water supply; with each bit of bread, the manna for one more day of love and service. We can begin to uphold the world that upholds us by recognizing these gifts with gratitude, especially our place in an ordered world that is full and fundamentally good, and our vocation to preserve the goodness and health of this living, teeming, exuberant world.”
I am one who appreciates, admires and marvels over God’s Creation but I’m afraid I’m not always as grateful as I should be. I fear I may at times take it all for granted. During Lent (and hopefully beyond) I intend to practice gratitude for the many gifts of God found in Creation. I want to not only notice the flowers, birds, trees and other gifts of God in nature but to give God thanks for them. Surely, failure to do so is a sin. The Bible says “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.” (James 1:17) Yes, all of Creation is a gift of God and gifts should be acknowledged with gratitude.
The practice of gratitude is a much needed discipline. It keeps us humble. It keeps us connected to God. It brings us joy. I also happen to believe that gratitude for Creation is a key to caring for the world God has made. If we are not mindful and grateful for what God has made we will not be prone to work for its preservation. We will not seek to protect that which we are not grateful for. Perhaps at the heart of the ecological crisis is the sin of ingratitude.
I hope you will join me during this Lenten season in striving to be more grateful for the work of God’s hands. Try to find at least one thing in nature each day to give thanks for. Once you start looking, you’ll be amazed at the bounty of gifts that are there. There simply is no shortage of God’s blessings to behold!
–Chuck