So, I've been asking this question since Thanksgiving and I finally decided to post it. I'd love to hear what you think.
Can Gratitude exist if you don't acknowledge a Giver?
During the holidays, I spent a lot of time with people who don't acknowledge the existence of a God or Power. Yet, they exhibit what I'd call "Random Gratitude." I'd often hear them say: "I'm so grateful for my:" job, health, kids--- fill in the blank. (Okay, so, in my opinion, not enough people express gratitude for their kids, but I digress.) What I keep wondering is, how can you be grateful you have something unless you acknowledge that it comes from somewhere---or someone?
Can Gratitude exist in a vaccuum? Doesn't the presence of good (or bad) things in our lives just give more credence to the belief that a Giver exists?
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
4 comments:
I believe that one can be grateful and still not know (or acknowledge) the source of why he/she is grateful.
I think it works the same way with little kids. They can be appreciative of their parents in a very fundamental or basic way without realizing all the goes into what their parents do for them. Hence why parents are always telling kids to say “thank you”, “sorry”, “excuse me”. One has to learn the behavior.
I think that gratitude like love is a learned behavior, not an innate behavior such as digesting or breathing. Gratitude and love don’t exist in a vacuum. You and I know they exist because of God. Yet, for the people that don’t believe those conditions exist (and are just as valid) as a by-product.
Not sure if I can explain this well without examples. In nature there are a lot of by-products. Trees use carbon monoxide and give back oxygen. To me that is a great example of God’s love for us. He turns something toxic to us and gives us back something helpful and healthy. Now I can choose to see it that way, or I could say “That’s the way it works and everybody benefits, and I don’t have to believe in God to reap the benefits, therefore I don’t have acknowledge anything.”
I would feel less fulfilled with the second thought, but I have lived plenty of years believing that. I was less, and it took my sincere acceptance that there was something bigger and better than me to be able to understand that I have to acknowledge the Creator several times a day.
In the Talmud it says that one should say 100 thank yous a day to God. Sounds corny, until you start thinking about how many times a day God saves you from bad things. Or provides you with necessities. Or just brings you a beautiful sunset because He enjoys it and thinks you would enjoy it as well. We don’t acknowledge God enough. Even believers.
Gratitude is a learned behavior, and as such we have all learned the behavior with different degrees of appreciation. As usual God will accept us just the way we are, and that is something we should be grateful for every day.
Interesting, Chri! I liked your tree analogy--and I think I could easily shoot up 100 thank you's a day to God. Sometimes it seems the more diffcult things get, the more reasons I find to be grateful.
Are you the same Marmotmom I used to hang out with on the Delphi Forums a decade ago? x
No Jo, I'm sorry I'm not--but welcome to the blog anyway! Hope you'll stay with us.
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