Worship - Gratitude

     Gratitude...that's also a tough one, and it seems to go hand in hand with celebration.  I mean when we celebrate what God has done in our life, aren't we showing him how grateful we are for what he has done?  Sometimes though I think we can get caught in the trap of being silently grateful.  I mean, how many times have you ever had a great meal, and never thanked the cook for spending the time to actually prepare the food that you ate?  Or how many times do we thank the person who cleans the restrooms at your church (ok, so I was a janitor for a couple years).  Or how often do we thank God for our family?

     I guess we can be grateful without showing gratitude.  But what's the point of silent gratitude?  It doesn't benefit anyone, and it definitely doesn't make anyone feel good.  I mean, doesn't it make you feel unappreciated if you work extremely hard for something and get not even a thank you for it?  Not that we should always work just for that recognition, but I know that a simple "thank you" can make someone's day.  I think we should be abundant with our thanks, in everything and to everybody.

     I mean if you look at Jesus' example in Mark 8, he gave thanks for what little he had.  

¹During those days another large crowd gathered. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to him and said, ²"I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. ³If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance."

 ⁴His disciples answered, "But where in this remote place can anyone get enough bread to feed them?"

 ⁵"How many loaves do you have?" Jesus asked. 

      "Seven," they replied.

 ⁶He told the crowd to sit down on the ground. When he had taken the seven loaves and given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people, and they did so. ⁷They had a few small fish as well; he gave thanks for them also and told the disciples to distribute them. ⁸The people ate and were satisfied.

Jesus was given seven loaves of bread and a few fish, not near enough food to feed the crowd.  But he thanked God for the little he was given; and God blessed him for that.  I think sometimes we sell God short and don't believe he can provide, so we forget to thank him for what he has already provided.  I mean, he's the one who provided us with life to begin with.