Thankfulness as a Theological Choice.

Who then is God that we must speak of him?

God is he whom we must thank.

To be more precise:

God is he whom we cannot thank enough. (E Jungel)

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For all that has been,

Thank you -

For all that is to come,

Yes -                                                    (Dag Hammarskjold)

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Thou hast given so much to me,

Give one thing more, - a grateful heart;

Not thankful when it pleaseth me,

As if Thy blessings had spare days,

But such a heart whose pulse may be Thy praise.  (George Herbert).

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Been a hard week so far, for reasons nobody could foresee or forestall. One of the most important theological choices we make is whether we complain or give thanks, fuel resentment or nurture gratefulness, whether we see God in all things or only in those cherry picked experiences we call blessings. Life itself is the blessing, and the daily gift of the God whose gift is life. I'm wondering if inner climate determines our disposition towards complaint or gratitude, or if we determine our inner climate by  whether a theological choice towards gratitude is an intentional act of faith that changes our inner climate by "tracing the rainbow through the rain"?

My theologian of 'thankfulness as choice' is Julian of Norwich. When much else fails to persuade, I find her quiet insistent trustfulness, and thus her patient thankfulness, a good antidote to those more enjoyably disruptive attitudes of complaint, unsettlement and soul sulking. More than most theologians, she grounds gratitude in the foundation of a love at once eternal and personal, universal and particular.   

Thus I was taught that love was our Lord's meaning.

And I saw quite clearly in this and in all,

that before God made us, he loved us,

which love was never slaked nor ever shall be.

And in this love he has done all his work,

and in this love he has made all things profitable to us.

And in this love our life is everlasting.

In our creation we had a beginning.

But the love wherein he made us was in him with no beginning.

And all this shall be seen in God without end ...

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Quite so!

Comments

[Catriona]

Sorry to hear your week has been hard. Thinking of you and praying you'll be sustained through and beyond it.

[Ruth Gouldbourne]

Is it a nasty form of schadenfreude to be grateful it is not just me having a hard week? : )

Thank you for this

Ruth

[Tony Maude]

Can I echo Ruth's query?

[Jim Gordon]

Thankfully life is becoming more amenable to a spirit of thankfulness. Catriona's prayers eh - the effectual fervent prayers of a righteous woman?
Ruth,my take on your question is that I take such gratitude as your spirit of solidarity with me, as being similar to a fellowship of sufferings! :)
Tony, can you hear the echo of my answer? ;)

[Ruth Gouldbourne]

: )

R

[chris]

I've never heard the expression "soul sulking" before. I should have - it's one I need! Coming late to this post after a trip, can I hope that this week is looking better?

[Jim Gordon]

Thanks Chris - much better, mostly due to colleagues and friends who know about restoring balance, equilibrium and perspective. "Soul sulking" is my description of feeling spiritually scunnered, not by God but by some who claim to speak on God's behalf.

[chris]

Well if you don't mind, I shall appropriate it forthwith. I have been there for some months now! Glad about your wise companions.