Gift of Gratitudefeatured

In Sarah Young’s book, Jesus Listens, her June 16 prayer says, “Please help me to view my life through a grid of gratitude.” The phrase, grid of gratitude, immediately grabbed my attention as a worthy spiritual practice but also as compelling visual image to paint. As I began to ponder, reminders of God’s desire for us to live in continuous rhythm of praise and thanks for all he has done for us began to flow. I also began to think about how to capture those truths in a painting.

The Bible tells us gratitude is essential to our spiritual health and commands us to be thankful always.

• “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18).
• “Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:19-20).
• “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6).

I don’t always find my circumstances worthy of thanks. In times of loss, disappointment, failure, and shattered dreams, my first instinct is more likely to be worry, fear, and complaints. Satan loves it when we respond to our difficulties like this. These less-than-desirable responses lead to a downward spiral to a pit of misery and despair. Nothing makes Satan happier than one of God’s children suffering in this way.

God’s Word reminds us that despite difficulties we can view our circumstances through a grid of gratitude. It begins when we remember Jesus promised, “… I am with you always” (Matthew 28: 20) and that he would send us a helper, “…the Spirit of truth…” (John 16:13). With the help of the Holy Spirit we let go Satan’s grid of fear and worry and begin to search our circumstances for the always present gifts that God has provided to us.

Our grid of gratitude opens our hearts to remembrance of God’s faithfulness and endless love for us.

• “For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your righthand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you” (Isaiah 41:13).
• “For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations” (Psalm 100:5).
• “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” (John 14:27).

In this painting (Grid of Gratitude) I created a grid pattern overlaying a colorful landscape. The grid has gaps of all sizes, flowing in patterns that represent God’s goodness and faithfulness. There are thousands of gaps that allow us to see glimpses of the beautiful landscape. Each gap represents an opportunity for gratitude to displace worry, fear, and despair.

When times are not so difficult, we may find gratitude comes more easily. Our grid of gratitude has large gaps where we easily spot God’s blessings like new babies, good health, and wonderful friends. Our gratitude flows freely.

All of us have times when circumstances are tough, the gratitude grid seems woven tightly, and it is hard to see God’s provision of new gifts each day. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can look closely into tiny gaps in the grid to find the song of a bird, a flower bud beginning to bloom, a hug from a friend, or the Spirit’s guidance for the next small step. The small gaps lead us to larger gaps. We may find God is teaching us a profound lesson amid our trials. The Holy Spirit will remind us of God’s greatest gift in Jesus Christ. We remember God’s mercy, grace, and the promise of eternity with him. We cannot help but be grateful for this underserved gift. We can all echo the apostle Paul in saying, “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” Our grid of gratitude is back in place!

I chose Ephesians 5:19-20 to pair the Grid of Gratitude: “Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Each time Satan tries to suck me into his vortex of worry and fear, I hope both this painting and verse will remind me to keep my grid of gratitude firmly in place so that I can experience the peace and joy that only God can give. This is my prayer for you a well!