Skip to main content

An Attitude of Gratitude

But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." James 4:6

Recently I have noticed something and it has changed my life. The scripture above says that God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble. This is always a good thing to keep in mind as I really don't want God to resist me!

My eldest daughter, Lorah, has helped me understand this principle. As I have watched her and learned from her I have seen more and more of how important it is to be grateful. This is not directly humble but I do believe being grateful is a part of a humble nature. By nature, Lorah is always grateful. She never demands or expects anything and this attitude actually makes you want to give more to her. If we are out shopping and she asks for something I don't want to say no to her. The way she humbly asks is so lovely that I just want to give her WHATEVER she asks for. Most people are attracted to Lorah - she is so lovely to be around, so generous with kind words & generally kind to everyone. I have watched her intently for a while trying to pin down what makes her so awesome and one of her key qualities is an attitude of gratitude. It's genuine!

There are other people in my life that aren't so grateful. They are more pushy, more proud and more demanding! I noticed that I resist them. I don't want to say yes to their request and I don't really like being around them. Their company is not pleasant so I limit my time with them. As I have observed how I treat Lorah and how I treat other people I have been able to really understand what this verse in James means.

I have been working on this part of my character and I am intentionally working on being a grateful person. One of the things I am working on is going out of my way to express gratitude. I still have a lot to learn but I am sincerely grateful for the people in my world and I want to learn to give them the gratitude that they deserve.

Most importantly I am seeing how much more gratitude I need to express to God. He has done so much for me and there have been times when I have expected things from Him, times when I have demanded things from Him, (the whole name it and claim it movement can be quite demanding), times that I have become familiar with all He has done for me. If He has resisted me in the past I don't blame Him. I wouldn't want to be around someone like that either. Please & thank you & other manners probably don't make a difference to God but I use this way of speaking to Him to show Him the respect He deserves from me. It's not about the words though it's about the heart attitude. When I ask for things I ask nicely as a grateful child to a Father. When I sin and ask for forgiveness I am truly grateful for the cross.

The word grace in James 4:6 comes from the Greek word "charis" which means amongst other things, gratitude. So it could read like this; "But He gives more gratitude. Therefore He says: "God resists the proud, But gives gratitude to the humble". Perhaps as we humble ourselves before Him will grow an attitude of gratitude?
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hope's Journey

"There was a time when all I wanted was to die but now that I have tasted life I really don’t want to die until I have truly lived!" Hope's Journey is a heart wrenching account of Angela's struggle with depression and suicide.   "This book is helpful for people that are going through tough times as well for those who are trying to support them. It gives valuable insight into the feelings experienced in the midst of the situations as well as the tools Angela used to find her way through them. The tools are useful for anyone trying to find hope in dark situations, whatever they may be, and are helpful for leading a stronger, more balanced life." Ali Kirkwood  Available at: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Kindle StudyGuide: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | More Info  Contents: Introduction Suicide Eat, Sleep & Exercise Have a Checkup First Things First Make Hope Make List Tell Someone Choose Your Friends Understand Hormo
23 comments
Read more

Conference Feedback

We had a beautiful day together on 8th September, thank you so much to you all for your incredible support and prayers. Feedback and testimonies have already started flooding in, have a read of some of them here . Also, keep an eye on our YouTube page as we update it with the speakers messages and conference highlight videos. We had the stunning Instruments of Praise gospel choir lead us in worship and it was truly heavenly. We also had Daughters of Davis who absolutely blew us away with their fantastic acoustic folk/soul vibe. Our Women in Business section was a real treat with stalls offering all sorts of beautifully displayed goods. Jill Chitty from the Entrepreneurs Circle spoke to the women in business offering practical tips for business growth. Other breakout sessions included a Hope for Justice talk by Naomi and Cynthia shared her testimony of life as a Samburu woman . Molly Catherine Beebee from Cirencester Creative Dance Academy dazzled us with
Post a Comment
Read more

For Such a Time As This

Hello King's Daughters, It's been a while since I've been in touch and King's Daughters has been very quiet, in fact totally dormant.  During this time of dormancy, a seed has been growing inside of me and it's so strong that I have to seriously consider if it's God saying "It's time".  Time to start taking back what the enemy has stolen from us. Time to fight for our families, schools, churches, communities and nation. Time to pray together and be proactive, not reactive to what is going on in the world today. Time to talk about the complex topics that our churches may not be ready to discuss openly such as gender confusion and mental health issues. Time to learn how to generate an income or second income by using what's in our hands and to have extra to be generous to the world around us as we face economic uncertainty.  Time to find balance when everyone else is consumed by busyness. I have a story to tell, a struggle I've been through t
Post a Comment
Read more