Are you grateful or resentful? The answer to this question will determine your happiness.
Gratitude will make us appreciate everything we have in life and deal properly with what went wrong in life. Grateful people will be able to handle life better, as they won't give in to the negativity that comes from resentment. They avoid the pit of bitterness and the prison of unforgiveness. Gratitude is the antidote to resentfulness, as forgiveness is healing of emotional pain and liberation to the soul. Gratitude is the key to happiness. Gratitude is the best attitude!
When Life gets Hard
Just consider actor Michael J. Fox who over thirty years ago was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, but has not lost his trademark optimism. He stated that 'with gratitude optimism is sustainable.' This motto changed his life. He was able to overcome a grudge he held over how life has 'kicked his a***.' Life can hit us hard, but we must remain grateful in order not to lose hope and optimism. Fox has written four books and his charity has raised over a billion dollars to find a cure for the disease. A remarkable way to handle life's hardships. Fox was reported saying that 'Acceptance [of a situation or condition] doesn't mean resignation [giving up]. It means understanding that something is what it is and there's got to be a way through it.' Gratitude makes it possible, therefore remember: gratitude is the best attitude.
Bitterness vs Gratitude
Bitter people can never be happy. The resentful will always hold a grudge against those who wronged them, be angry at life because of what others did wrong, and forever blame those who 'ruined their lives,' as they see it. They can't handle what they've lost and choose bitterness over forgiveness. Rather than taking responsibility to make things better, they choose the path of self-pity and resentment. These negative emotions and that bad outlook on life, blurs their vision and overshadows everything they feel, say and do. These people are often destructive towards others, as their pain drives their actions. As is well known, hurting people hurt others. They feel entitled to hurt others, often in a revengeful way. They lost all appreciation of what is beautiful and good in life. They are often 'eaten up' by their bitterness; sometimes it can even lead to physical illness.
The attitude of gratitude, on the other hand, will empower people to cut their losses, take responsibility and try again. There is happiness in this! Life simply isn't all success or 'sunshine and roses.' Life contains suffering, loss, pain and other uncomfortable aspects to human existence and the reality of life on earth. We live in an imperfect world; a fallen creation. There is much beauty, but there is suffering also. What do you focus on?
Gratitude will make you see beauty despite the ugliness of life; it will make you see 'the lilies among the thorns.' Gratitude will make you appreciate goodness despite the pain you experience. It enables you to see life from a better perspective and move on freely. Forgiveness first liberates you and then empowers you to overcome negative emotions and let go of things that keep you bound. Yes, some things people do against us seem unforgivable - forgive anyway. Gratitude and forgiveness are the joint-keys to happiness and peace!
After 27 years in prison, Nelson Mandela knew that unless he left his bitterness behind in that prison cell, he would always remain a prisoner. Rather than getting resentful against the white man, he used his years of confinement to be prepared to become South Africa's next President and change that nation forever. He brought peace and reconciliation to a divided nation with a difficult past because of his own choice to forgive and build a better future for everyone. In fact, several famous persons in history were imprisoned, some for unjustifiable reasons, others on controversial grounds, yet others innocently. What they did with their imprisonment was key to their future. Both Malcome X and Martin Luther King Jr. were imprisoned, one chose the path of resentfulness and violence, other the path of love and non-violence. They, too, made their choices.
Innocently Imprisoned - Powerfully Promoted
The biblical figure Joseph was presented with an opportunity to help others while innocently imprisoned, which two years later gave him the promotion of a lifetime: from prisoner to Prime Minister! His special gift to interpret dreams paved the way to the corridors of Egyptian power, helping the worried and confused Pharaoh make sense of his own dreams and find a strategy to save the known world at the time from starvation. Great things can happen in prison, but only if we keep the right attitude. Joseph could've fallen for the trap of bitterness and resentment and thus pollute his gift and miss his opportunity that would later give him the life-changing promotion. Keep a pure heart through forgiveness and a good attitude by a positive outlook on life. Great things can happen this way, yet great opportunities can be missed if we choose resentment instead.
Before Joseph became a prisoner on the basis of a false accusation and manipulated evidence, he had been sold as a slave by his own brothers due to jealousy and hatred. Things had gone from bad to worse for him; and truly, sometimes in life, things become worse before they get any better! But God was with Joseph, who first worked as a servant to a powerful man, then served other prisoners while innocently in prison. He simply tried to make the best of difficult circumstances. The young man had suffered a lot, but chose the path of forgiveness and goodness, not bitterness and resentment. As they say, 'We win or lose by the way we choose.' We all have choices - what are yours?
Joseph had all the reasons to be bitter and resentful, yet he chose a positive outlook on life. What his brothers had intended for evil, God had used for good, to bring salvation from starvation to many people (Genesis 50:20). This was the 'big life lesson' Joseph learned in his suffering. In this way, Paul's statement proved true: 'And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose' (Romans 8:28). Joseph wouldn't surrender his love for God and fear of God for anything, neither would he lose sight of the purpose for which he was called. This positive outlook and a good attitude empowered him to get through the suffering and see God turn it into something great!
Gratitude truly is the best attitude - always be grateful!
Comentários