Faith to Be Grateful
As we close out the week talking about runnin’ on faith, I want to remind us that a powerful way to keep our spiritual energy up is to cultivate a heart of gratitude.
It seems to me that when we get tired and begin to burn out, we start to lose our perspective in various ways, and in particular we start to moan and complain and forget about how blessed we are.
Power of Gratitude
Gratitude is good for the soul. Gratitude is fuel for the soul – it really boosts us when we remember to be grateful.
There’s a story about a lady in a hotel room who phoned the front desk to complain about the person next door who was banging away at the piano. She said “If you don’t have it stopped at once, I shall go crazy!” She was starting to run on empty.
But the manager said that as much as he wished to help her avoid going crazy, he couldn’t grant her request. The pianist in the room next to her was practising for a concert to be held that evening. “You see”, the manager said, “it’s the great Paderewski”.
The lady gasped. “Paderewski! Oh my, that’s quite different!” She hung up, and began to call her friends to tell them to come at once to her hotel room, and before long a whole group of them were sitting listening with great joy, to the same music that almost drove the woman crazy a short time before.
Change Your Perspective
Sometimes you need to change your perspective to running on empty. Sometimes you need to notice that you have wonderful things to be grateful for, instead of simply complaining about them.
In fact, I love the words of Paul to the Colossians, when he said “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him" (Colossians 3:17 NIV11). If you can learn to do all things in the name of Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him as you do it, your heart will certainly be filled up on faith, rather than running on empty.
Practicing Thankfulness
How are you doing in this part of your life? Are you allowing your tiredness to rob you of your gratefulness? And how might a grateful attitude transform you and fill you up?
Eric Clapton sang “lately I been runnin’ on faith”, and friends it is a heart of gratitude, and eyes that see blessings rather than burdens, that will fill up your faith like nothing else.
And may I say how grateful I am, for the support you give this ministry. Many of you share these messages around, and many of you donate monthly which has allowed me to involve other people in running my website and editing my videos and so on. Now I am not running on empty anymore, because you’ve unburdened me with your generosity. A heartfelt thank you for your kindness!
May you walk by faith, not by sight, and not run on empty, as these last months of the year unfold, because you fill up on faith.
