Gratitude – An Underused Attitude

by | Aug 21, 2011 | God's grace, Mom Devotionals, Pepper Basham | 9 comments

God uses the smallest people in my life to make the biggest impact on my heart.

My kids.

There are so many ways I see their understanding and growth at a younger level mirroring my spiritual growth  at an older level.

And sometimes, their simple statements wipe the dust of ‘life’ off of gospel truths I’ve allowed to become dimmed over time.

For example, last week I was with my youngest daughter, Phoebe. We needed to pick up two quick items from the grocery section of Wal-Mart – time was short and money was tight. As we did a quick tour of the snacks there was a sale rack filled with little girl bathing suits.

Phoebe gasped. Low and behold there was a Little Mermaid bathing suit ON SALE and just her size. She oohed and ahhed over it for a moment and then asked the inevitable question: “Can I have that one, Mommy?”

It was a cute swimsuit. A GREAT price.

We were in a hurry. I had to get to work. She had to get to school. Things at work were tense. Things at home were busy. And the budget was ultra-tight.

I had to say ‘no’.

Her smile faded, but she didn’t say anything until we’d paid for our two items and walked out the door.

As I placed her in her carseat, she looked up at me and said, “Mommy, even if I don’t have that Little Mermaid swimming suit, God has given me a happy heart. Because God gives us happy hearts, doesn’t he?”

I almost melted in a pile of tears on the pavement.

God spoke to me through my daughter and reminded me of a simple, yet profound truth. Joy is a God-given constant – regardless of the circumstances.

Happiness changes based on the circumstances and disappointments. The trials or heartaches.

But joy is from God – and God’s love doesn’t change.

The point is this: Gratitude is wearing God-colored glasses to view our lives.

It doesn’t mean we’ll always be happy with our circumstances, but it does mean that at the heart of who we are there is solid peace and hope beyond our circumstances.

There is a certainty of being loved far greater than our human minds can ever comprehend.

There is knowledge that even though we can’t understand the situation, it had to sift through the fingers of a loving Father before it reached our lives.

I’ll leave you with two fabulous quotes by author Charlotte Bronte, whose life was certainly not what anyone would call ‘happy’ or ‘easy’.
She lost her mother at a young age, suffered from poor health her entire life, and watched all of her siblings die at young ages before her. The only Bronte
to marry, she at the age of 38, along with her unborn child.

Here are two of her quotes:

“Cheerfulness, it would appear, is a matter which depends fully as much on the state of things within, as the state of things without and around us.”

“I try to avoid looking forward or backward, and try to keep looking upward.”

Words to remember.

9 Comments

    • pepperbasham

      Thanks, Case.

      Reply
    • pepperbasham

      Hey Melanie,
      Isn’t it amazing how our kids can send us out gathering humility? 🙂 I needed the reminder:
      Complaining makes the heart sour.
      My God is so big! 🙂

      Reply
  1. Pam K.

    Thank you so much for sharing this wisdom from you and your daughter. I really needed to be reminded of that today.

    Reply
    • pepperbasham

      Pam K.
      So glad this was a timely post for you. God is good like that, isn’t He? Giving us what we need when we need it most.

      Blessings,

      Reply
  2. May the K9 Spy and KC Frantzen

    Give that wise girl a HUG!!!!!!!

    You are a good Mom Pepper.
    Wow.
    Love that.

    Interesting that our pastor was speaking on this subject today. I like this trend!

    Thank you for sharing that splendid story.
    I’m looking forward to your Seekerville post this week too!

    Reply
    • pepperbasham

      Thanks, KC
      Phoebe is a DARLING!

      I’m honored to be on Seekerville friday. Can’t wait to ‘see’ you there too.
      Give May a snuggle for me.

      Reply
  3. Ellen Andersen

    I fully agree. Happiness is dependent on our circumstances, which can change quickly and unexpectedly. Joy, on the other hand, comes from a focus on who God is–his unending love, his faithfulness, and his knowledge of what we need even before we do.

    Much better that we make joy our goal instead of happiness, which is so fleeting.

    Reply

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