I’ve written about attitude(s) in nearly every post in some fashion. And, I’ve written about gratitude multiple times in various contexts. Combining the two words is underscoring the import and impact of both and how they complement each other. Webster defines ‘gratitude’ as: “…the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful” and uses the following synonyms: acknowledgement, recognition, obligation, response… ‘Obligation’! Gratitude’s expression is an obligation? Absolutely! The obligation is not a quid pro quo, but the expression is mandatory… otherwise how would you or anyone know you were grateful?
The point is that gratitude is an expression, an acknowledgment of what has happened, who caused it, and your feelings. Thus the question – do you feel you display an attitude of gratitude? Do not look at your expression as a ‘payback’ to what the Lord has done, because there’s no way we can repay Him for all that He is and does in our lives. However, we need to demonstrate our feelings of what He does on our behalf and what this invokes in us… our feelings. Gratitude may be an act, but it is also a ‘feeling’ and this is always manifested in some fashion. Is your gratitude visible? What is your expression? How do you know what you are ‘saying’ by your behavior?
The importance is the expression, not following any formula to express. How one person expresses gratitude may not be how you would. You need to be able to express according to you. This is also a witness to others of how the Lord has impacted your life. Though I really dislike using a word to define the word, with gratitude I understand. We have difficulty defining gratitude because it is a feeling that causes us to want to express it (my diagnosis).
We have a similar problem with attitude: “…the way a person views something or tends to behave toward it, often in an evaluative way”, according to Webster. The synonyms: perspective, inclination, disposition. Again, our attitude(s) are ours and may not totally mesh with someone else. The point is that attitudes also express themselves… even if you don’t say a word.
Personally, I believe we need to revisit our attitudes on a regular basis to determine: 1- the best method of expression, especially if we want to convince someone else. and 2- to discover if they are still valid. Do we really still believe what we say we do? And in this context… what is our attitude about gratitude?
