Grateful or great fool?

“Some people complain because God put thorns on roses, while others praise Him for putting roses”.

Romans 8:28: “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

Last week Thursday was Thanksgiving Day in the United States of America. But beyond an annual event that is characterized by indulgent feting with people paying more attention to the feasting rather than its purpose. In our daily reality however, thanksgiving must go beyond an annual celebration to becoming a lifestyle.

Eighteen years ago in the city of Ibadan, my wife and I received a queer invitation. A Christian couple invited us to a praise party for the tenth anniversary of their wedding at an upscale hotel. Nothing special you would say, until you know that they had no child and this had been an issue for concern and prayers among those of us who were their friends. So, many of us believed that the celebration if any, should have been on a low scale. But they pulled the plugs when it came to the food. The dinner was sumptuous and the ambiance, splendid. But the main focus of the evening was to give testimonies and to praise God for how far He had brought them. It was not a night of requests and the couple had made that very clear. We went into a protracted time of worship and praise to God. Every prayer was just to be a prayer of thanksgiving. About half an hour into the time of worship, a prophecy came through one of the Ministers of God present. I still vividly recall the words. According to him quoting God, “Because you have ignored your condition and prepared a feast for me, I have also decided to honour you. By this time next year, you will have a bouncing baby boy”. We all said, “Amen”. It happened as was prophesied.

Some years back on a visit to the United Kingdom, I was invited to an event that took place in a hall that hosted the children’s church of a Salvation Army church. While I waited for the event to take off, I walked round the hall to admire some of the drawings made by the children and pasted on the walls. One of them arrested my attention. On it was inscribed in the scrawny scribblings of a child, “The teaspoon Prayer; Sorry, Please, Thank you”. The message was pungent enough to occupy my mind throughout that night.

• Gunmen kill 2 cops, cart away rifles in Delta

A year after the inception of the church arm of our ministry, we were given a notice of eviction from the property we were using as place of worship. I was initially as confused as any other member of the congregation but they all looked up to me. I went around town in company of a few members to look for an alternative. All our search proved futile. So I decided to shut myself in for some time with God. For seven days, I would wake up in the middle of the night and spend at least one hour singing, dancing in praise and gratitude to God for all he had done for us and in anticipation of what He would do. At the end of the seven days, I came to church on a Sunday morning and announced to the church, “I don’t know how it will happen, but our next Sunday service will be in our own facility”. I looked as stupid as stupid could be and I was very sure no one believed me even as they chorused a half-hearted “Amen!” I will spare you the details of how it happened. But one thing led to another and it happened exactly as I declared. God came through. That was about 25 years ago. We own the property till today, first on lease and later by purchase!

Ingratitude is the disease of the self-absorbed. It is easier and more commonplace to get so absorbed in your needs, and expectations, especially when you have grown to develop a sense of entitlement that makes you believe that God and the universe owe you a living and a livelihood. Ingratitude makes people constantly focus on what they lack rather than what they have, what they lost rather than what they have left. For the same reason, leaders would lament about the people who leave them rather than be grateful for and to the ones who remain loyal, children would constantly lampoon their parents for not giving them everything they ask for instead of being grateful for the privilege of having their parents alive. To the ungrateful, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence! This is what breeds unbridled envy.

Thank you. Two words. But powerful enough to move even the hands of God and unlock an endless flow of benevolence from the most virulent of humans. Gratitude is an attitude of the heart that anticipates the coming showers when all the ingrate can see is a dark cloud. To the thankful, the glass is always half-full. As someone has well said, anyone who knows how to be thankful, will always have his tank full of blessings. Gratitude and generosity go hand in hand. It is improbable that a grateful person will be stingy.

There is a strong link between gratitude and godliness. Gratitude is the natural outflow of a heart that can see people and circumstances as well as experiences through the eyes of God.

As I was preparing this, I came across a write-up by one of my role models and someone for whose life I am eternally grateful, Dr. John Haggai. I quote him extensively here.

He wrote, “Giving thanks produces a positive spirit. Giving thanks makes us useful and fruitful. The word ‘thanksgiving’ comes from the same root word as ‘think,’ so to think is to thank. Here are some things to think about.

“It is impossible for the husband who is constantly thanking God for his wife to grind his partner down with merciless criticism and fault-finding.

“It is impossible for the businessman whose habit pattern is to thank God for his blessings to bring misery to others through the employment of operations that are considered shrewd, but which he knows to be morally and spiritually reprehensible.

“The employer who is thanking God for his position of leadership and for the employees cannot possibly impose upon them those conditions which make life miserable.

“The labor leader who is in fellowship with God and giving thanks always for all things will not maneuver situations that pander to his own selfish desires while extracting a heavy toll upon the men in his union.”

I concur.

Whosoever is not grateful is a great fool. Think of three things you can thank God for right now. Go ahead and thank Him. Now! Then think of three people you need to express gratitude to for the roles they have played or still play in your life. Call, or send an SMS. Right away!!

Remember, the sky is not your limit, God is!