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November 3, 2003
A Grateful Heart
by Betty Mitchell
In everything give thanks; for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus.
(1 Thessalonians 5:18, NASV).
George Herbert, a 17th century English devotional poet, wrote, "Thou hast given so much to me. . . . Give one thing more—a grateful heart."
What does it mean to have a grateful heart? Does it mean only that we say "thank you" when someone gives us something or does something for us? Is it enough that we repeat a "thank you" blessing before each meal or that we say "Thank you, Lord, for all your blessings" every time we pray? Words are easy. Even a two-year-old can be trained to say "thank you," but is that evidence of a truly grateful heart?
When I examine my own heart, I am convicted. How often, when I rise to face a new day, do I face it with a complaint instead of an expression of gratitude? Sometim7
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