Developing a Thankful Heart

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Developing a Thankful Heart

“O that men would praise the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men” (Psalm 107:8,15,21,31)!

Be Grateful

Were you ever diagnosed with an ungrateful heart?

I was brought up short once when I was working and someone gave me something I needed. Surprised at her gift and stunned by her profuse help, I did not thank her. A year later I sought to sell her something I had made. She bought it reluctantly, visibly disappointed in me. I should have given it to her to express my appreciation for her earlier thoughtful gift to me.

What is the remedy for an unthankful attitude? I began to understand that gratefulness is not part of the package when we are born. My parents poured into me all they knew to help me turn out right. I absorbed all they gave me, but appreciation was not my response.

Young and ungrateful

I was a pill growing up! My parents had a hard time raising me because I was dense. My mom would get a far-off look in her eyes. That look seemed to say, “God, You have to take it from here.”

It’s a good thing God is patient and merciful. He puts up with a lot! There seems to be no limit to His lovingkindness. Scripture is a good resource to give us examples of how to live. The Israelites repeatedly received God’s blessings, then forgot quickly what He had done for them.

We All Need Help At Times

One of the psalmists said, “O that men would praise the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men” (Psalm 107:8,15,21,31)! The psalmist outlined four scenarios when the Israelites got into trouble. They first struggled to help themselves, then realized they desperately needed God’s help. At the end of the psalm, he said, “Whoso is wise and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the LORD” (Psalm 107:43).

Observe Thankful People

The key to developing thankfulness is being observant. We can look at the lives of people who have experienced God’s help. The value of such observation is seeing how they respond. We can learn what appreciation for God’s blessings looks like. Also, we will see how ungratefulness appears.

Thankful Hearts are Maturing Hearts

Just as we expect children to grow up to be adults, so God expects us to grow up spiritually. Paul gave us a “formula” if you will. “Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:12-13).

God’s Guiding Leads   

In this formula, we have a part and God has a part. My parents have died and gone to heaven. I am striving to put what they taught me about God into practice. With His unseen hand, God is behind the scenes guiding me. Willingly yielding to God’s loving guidance demonstrates an attitude of appreciation on our part for God’s work in our lives.

Let us not be dense but praise God at this season of thanksgiving so He can glorify Himself in us the most He possibly can!

Shirley Logsdon

 

 

 

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About Shirley Logsdon

I am the only child of Christian parents who wanted me to know God personally as they did. One night during church we watched a movie depicting a family in their home accepting Jesus as their personal Savior. I was nine and realized then my desire to make Jesus my personal Savior. With the full support of my parents, I met with the pastor and prayed to receive Christ. A few years later, several of us around the same age began classes for our confirmation to become church members. The privilege of taking communion was a special time for me. . During my teenage years I was outwardly complacent, but was inwardly rebellious. I developed the nasty habit of disrupting harmony in the household by nitpicking at anything and everything. A preacher came to hold revival services at my dad’s church and nailed me silently with looks. This helped me tremendously. I turned a corner and began to respect and obey my parents in attitude and actions. I survived these years through prayer (mine, my parents and friends). The love and tenacity of my parents and God’s grace got me through these years of upheaval. I readily identify with David the Psalmist when he said in Psalm 25:7, “Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to Thy mercy remember Thou me for Thy goodness’ sake, O LORD.” Because my parents provided a stable home life for me, when I went to college my Christian values remained intact. After completing my education in 1979, I started working. For a while, I worked at temp agencies, then I did odd jobs. I settled down in a secretarial position in 1986 working for a firm specializing in retirement plan administration. In 2007, I started working for a law firm, eventually becoming a knowledge management assistant in their law library, helping to alert attorneys to new business opportunities. I am a productive citizen of my country in large part because my parents prayed for me and made clear by word and example what they expected of me. I am extremely grateful to God for them. John 15:5 is my life verse: “I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.” I am confronted with this realization every day I live, and it helps keep me on the straight and narrow path. I met my future husband at church. After a few years of our two families getting acquainted, he and I started courting. We married at the church where we met, in the presence of many relatives and friends. We have been married for 29 years. My hobbies are reading, cooking, and canning or freezing what my beloved husband grows in the garden. Also, I thoroughly enjoy writing. While my writing has included poems, most of my writing has been letters to family and friends. I like to share my faith when I write and am fond of adding a Bible verse or two to help focus on the source of our life. Since I am now retired after working 38 years, I can concentrate on keeping up with birthdays. Something else I enjoy is studying the Bible, often with others. Blogging is a new form of writing for me. I am getting my feet wet and I’m beginning to enjoy the experience.

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