From The Pastor’s Pen – By Brian Horrobin
We are now entering that wonderful time of the year for so many of us, the Christmas season.
It’ still a whole month away so now seems like a good time to do a quick check of our “attitude of gratitude” before our commercialized society pushes us outside the boundaries of the true meaning of the season.
I came across a neat quote from Bob Dylan that puts an interesting spin on just having a thankful heart.
It was a piece of advice that his father gave him, and I think it can help us, too.
Here it is: “Even if you don’t have all the things you want, be grateful for the things you don’t have that you don’t want.”
We are often taught to be thankful for the things we have, and not to pine over what we don’t have.
Dylan’s dad adds another dimension to this wise practice by observing a reverse focus.
Think about that right now.
What are you thankful for NOT having?
It could be any number of things: cancer, job loss, car repair, Covid-19, and the list goes on and on.
Of course, some people do have these things and that’s where we practice the other side of gratitude where we thank God for His help, His healing, His provision, the encouragement of family and friends, etc.
Gratitude is a multifaceted diamond that can really add flavour to our daily lives.
I mean, who doesn’t like being around a person who is grateful?
Complainers abound, but a grateful person fills the room with a sweet aroma.
So, the choice is yours.
You can be sweet or stinky, but you can’t be both!
