Gratitude and Wonder

A favorite author of mine is Ravi Zacharias. From the first time I heard him speak at a World Missions Conference while I was in college, I have been challenged, enlightened, inspired, and shaped by what he writes and shares through his sermons and lectures. In his book, Recapture The Wonder, he connects gratitude and wonder.

"The first necessary component of wonder is profound gratitude."

Honestly, this can be a struggle for me at times. I can easily get focused on what has been lost or what I don't have or what situation I find myself in and throw my own personal pity party. Gratitude is something I even resist at times because it feels like its wrong to "put on a happy, thankful face" when the feeling isn't there. I experience this sometimes with the families I work with on how to balance thankfulness with loss. Sometimes people feel guilty for acknowledging things to be grateful for in the face of loss. Once people can see that the sadness they feel over the loss is actually a testimony to the value of the relationship they once enjoyed gives them a better grasp on why their grief can feel so overwhelming. C.S. Lewis once said - "The deeper you love, the deeper you hurt. The joy you felt then is part of the pain you feel now."

Ravi makes the point in his book that gratitude runs much deeper than mere thankfulness or shallow emotion. His description is not only challenging but inspiring as well:

"The gratitude I am speaking of is not sporadic. It cannot be spent or exhausted. It is the transformation of a mind that is more grateful for the giver than for the gift, for the purpose than for the present, for life itself rather than for abundance. It values a relationship rather than any benefit made possible by the relationship. Even more, it is the capacity to receive, rather than the gift itself, to trust even when the moment seems devoid of immediate fulfillment. It is more than happiness. It is more than peace."

When I sit and reflect, even as I am typing this, I really do have so much to be grateful for and that is ultimately a very satisfying and fulfilling way to end the day. Not having all the answers or grief or problems solved, but acknowledging that, as Ravi states so well, that "the world is larger and more beautiful than my little struggle. There is a larger context."