A Dime a Day (Part 2): Bitter or Better?
Let’s focus on the person who was getting “a dime a day”, but the dimes stopped.
How will he respond? Will he be grateful for the gifts he received for that time? Will he be a better person for having been helped….be motivated to pay it forward and give others “a dime a day” in their hour of need? Or will he be frustrated, bitter or even angry when the “free” help stops?
I’ll never forget watching in disbelief as the t.v. cameras captured the anger of people who were being asked to leave the government-provided free housing a year after Katrina. They felt like THEIR homes were being stolen from them, even though they knew full well they’d been provided as temporary shelter to tie them over until they could find their own housing.
We shouldn’t be shocked. It’s always been that way with people. Noah and his family were spared, yet his immediate act after leaving the boat was to get naked and drunk. Aaron walked with Moses and saw the hand of God every day. But left alone for just a little while – his gratitude turned to idol worship. And then there’s the 10 lepers Jesus healed. Only one came back to say thank you.
Gratitude just isn’t sticky. It’s fleeting. It doesn’t come easy. It’s not natural in our selfish, self-absorbed skin.
But it’s a choice we can make. It’s a choice I can make. It’s a choice you can make.
Choose gratitude and watch your anxiety diminish. Think about what you’ve been given and watch your appetite for what you don’t have fade.
The movie “Courageous” explores one of the most painful things we can experience…the loss of a child. The main character in the movie is overwhelmed with bitterness and anger until he finally decides to be grateful for the 11 years he had with his daughter instead of what he wouldn’t have. Easier said than done, but a far better choice.
Question: What grinds on you? What loss are you still angry about? Isn’t it time you dropped your anger?…let go your demand that it go your way?….and start to express gratitude to your Heavenly Father for what you DID get? ….for what you DO have?
If you’ve done this in some significant way, share it with us.
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Responses (1)
I think this pertains to all us–not just Katrina victims or courageous parents, but any of us who ever thought life would be a certain way… and well it’s just not. We have an expectation… then reality sets in. I completely agree that attitude and gratitude can be a game-changer. Boy, but getting there. That’s the tough part.
Your quote “let go your demand that it go your way” really hits home. I recently ended up having emergency surgery in a foreign country. This is not what I planned. This is not what I thought my time here would look like. I had a friend send a prayer saying she hoped it wouldn’t make me bitter, but in fact better and I remember thinking, why the heck would I be bitter about this freak accident? … then the bitterness set in. It’s a strange thing to fight, but it took every ounce of perspective–and a good amount of time.
“Gratitude just isn’t sticky. It’s fleeting. It doesn’t come easy. It’s not natural in our selfish, self-absorbed skin. But it’s a choice we can make. It’s a choice I can make. It’s a choice you can make.”
Well said, Reg.