The Camera of Gratitude

Gratitude multiplies the gifts of God. We are incredibly simple creatures. We are simple and easily distracted, easily bored. But God is infinite, and infinitely glorious. When God gives, His gifts are infinitely creative, gracious, fascinating, and good. 

Think about the way the best craftsmen create their products, whether jewelers or carpenters or artisan cooks and bakers. They give special care to the details of their craft, and you might appreciate a few of them. But frequently, if you stopped to ask them about everything that went into it, they could talk for a long time about numerous details, you never noticed. 

It is the same with God, only on a much greater scale. We are walking around in His Great Masterpiece. Think about the intricacy of our bodies, the intricacies of our planet in our solar system, the intricacies of the weather, the animal kingdom, the trees and plants, and oceans and rivers, and I’ve only just skimmed the surface. We’re only just beginning to appreciate the genetic details, the intricacies of DNA, and what exactly has God done out at the far reaches of the universe that our cameras are just beginning to see? 

Now take that camera, pointed at the galaxies, let’s call it the camera of gratitude, and turn it on your house, your pantry, your car, your spouse, your kids, your parents, your roommates. What intricate gifts are there? What complex, mind-blowing colors and flavors and textures and stories and gifts are there? Gratitude multiplies the gifts of God. Of course, in a sense, there aren’t really more gifts, but gratitude allows you to see them, to taste them, to enjoy them like never before. 

And the central gift is forgiveness. All these good gifts that you and I barely notice, and then we have the audacity to think that we can live however we want. In our pride, we don’t want to admit that we are wrong. And then we are scared to humble ourselves because of what people might think. But open your eyes for just a moment and look around at this place. It is loaded with gifts. It is loaded with grace. Open your mouth. Open your heart and give thanks. And come and welcome to Jesus Christ. 

Photo by Gabe Hobbs on Unsplash