Gratitude and Gifts
“There is a well-known phrase: “The bread that you ate this morning was made by God all night long.” In reality it took much longer, and this bread had passed through many hands and ended up on your table through the labor of many—God has provided this for you to have breakfast. This is not just a piece of bread and butter—this is a message of His love and care. On this porous rectangle is written: “I love you and take care of you.” Gratitude accepts everything as a gift; all that we have, use, and rejoice in is a gift and manifestation of love. The taste of food, the light of the day, the scent of a flower, sounds of music—everything indicates His love, care and the great and ineffable joy that He is preparing for us.” (Sergei Khudiev)
“Life is a gift, and the nourishment life requires, while it comes from the work of many hands, conveys God’s material blessing. Mealtime provides an opportunity to thank God for daily needs met, for taste and beauty, and for human company and divine companionship.” (Life Application Study Bible, Mark 8:6)
“Because Christ works in our midst through other people, sometimes in ways that are unexpected or even disagreeable to me. Let me take a step back today, if I find myself annoyed or envious or disturbed by someone else’s journey, and praise God for unfolding the gifts of His Spirit in every unique person in my surroundings.” (Dr. Sr. Vassa Larin)
“…connected with a decline in faith is the depressed person’s loss of interest in life. He no longer rejoices in anything, he values nothing, and he pays little attention to anything. But life, in all its forms, is God’s most important gift to man, and it’s a great sin to have this attitude about it. A man will be happy only when he himself wants it, when he starts enjoying life. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you (1 Thess. 5:16–18). Specifically, give thanks. Gratitude to God teaches us to value the gifts of life. Only that which is valued brings joy and happiness. One priest advised his spiritual children to make a list of what to thank God for every day…Another batiushka went to see Elder Nikolai Guryanov on Zalit Island for advice. He came with some kind of sorrow, and after listening to him, Fr. Nikolai said, “Rejoice!” The priest thought, “What’s there to rejoice about?” And Fr. Nikolai continued, “Rejoice that you were born; rejoice that you were baptized; rejoice that you’re Orthodox; rejoice that you’re still alive!” (Archpriest Pavel Gumerov)
“…our awareness that, “I don’t have anything of my own, everything is a gift from God”—exposes our distrust of God; we feel vulnerable. People find it terrifying to be totally dependent on someone’s mercy; people often deny mercy to each other. But we can rely on God; true, we have nothing except His love and mercy; it is the firmest, surest and most unquestionable thing in the whole universe. We give thanks to Him for our joy in prosperity and consolation in sorrows; but above all we thank Him for the gift of eternal life that He has prepared for us in Jesus Christ///God’s punishment is the natural fruit of ingratitude; because ingratitude brings spiritual desolation to the soul, drowns its best inclinations, and plants savagery within it. On the other hand, with a grateful soul, the more often it turns to God with gratitude the more it grows in love for Him and is illuminated by the life-giving light of His perfections; and the more freely it opens itself before God, the more widely it opens before Him, the more capable it becomes of receiving the gifts of His grace.” (Sergei Khudiev, St. Philaret of Chernigov)
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