I’ve been paying too much attention to the news the last few weeks. That can get depressing! Those seven deadly sins (pride, greed, envy, wrath, sloth, gluttony, lust) keep on showing up in the headlines. It’s enough to make a person feel like it’s all too much. How do we keep ourselves from slipping from disgust into despair?
Gratitude. Gratitude cultivated, recognized, expressed and acted on. The ways we show gratitude and act on it are the ways we actually do make a difference in the world.
Sometimes it’s hard to find something to be grateful for, but we can fake it ‘til we make it. Find a weed in the yard? Thank God for the good earth that brings forth both wheat and weeds – and then pull it up. The cats start squabbling over who gets the sunny spot? Thank God for the warmth of the sun – and then separate the complainers.
We can also act on gratitude by giving, including giving through congregations and women’s organizations. You really do make a difference in the world!
This message is excerpted from “Act on gratitude to change the world” by Audrey Novak Riley from the August 29, 2018, blog of the Women of the ELCA.
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