According to an Arabic legend, a
young man was roaming the desert and came across a spring of crystal-clear
water. The water was so delicious that he filled his leather canteen to the
brim so he could bring some back to a tribal elder who had been his teacher.
After a four-day journey, he offered the water to the elder who took a deep
drink, smiled amiably, and thanked his former student for the excellent water.
The young man returned to his home with a happy heart.
Later, the elder let another student taste the water. He spit it out, saying it was terrible. Apparently, over the four days in the old leather container it had become stale. The student challenged his teacher: “Master, the water was awful. Why did you pretend to like it?” The teacher replied: “You only tasted the water, whereas I tasted the gift. The water was simply the container for an act of loving-kindness.”
This compelling story speaks to a profound truth about our lives. It tells us about the monumental importance of cultivating gratefulness in our lives and relationships. We often think of gratefulness especially during holidays or special events when we get an opportunity to remember and celebrate what we are thankful for. However, gratefulness does not have to be relegated only to these occasions. We are able to tune in to our innate capacity for gratefulness each moment of every day.
Despite appearances, circumstances, or the outer forms, the tribal elder in the story was able to clearly perceive the spirit of the gift, the love from which it came. In other words, he was able to be grateful when he could’ve not been. He was able to experience gratitude even when circumstances were “distasteful.” Likewise, we can develop gratefulness just like any other spiritual capacity. We do not have to go out and get a gratitude injection, take some thankfulness pill, or await the “gratefulness fairy” to come and shower us with thanksgiving dust. Not at all! We become grateful by our own intention.
Each one of us has that innate spiritual power of free will. This means that we always have the ability to choose. While we may not always have a choice about what we experience in life, we definitely have a choice about how we experience events. Even when we find ourselves in the midst of hardships or things not going like we want, we can decide to behold the good in the situation. This is possible because Spirit is always present. God the Good is abiding within every circumstance, but we have to attune our attention to the blessing that is there. Just like the biblical story of Jacob wrestling all night with God in human form, we can say to each condition, “I will not let go until you bless me.” (Gen. 32:23-34) We too can find the gem, but we must look for it and claim it.
Gratitude comes when we continually opt to see the blessings in our lives – persons, relationships, events, places, memories, and ideas. Gratefulness is all about being FULL of GREAT-ness in our hearts, using our perceiving power of faith and free will to witness and embrace the good in every situation.
One of those deep and momentous precepts of Jesus is: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Mt. 6:21) Now, there is effectively a vast array of ways to interpret this, as with any text. However, given the context of gratitude, Jesus may be alluding to the potent insight that whenever and wherever we resolve to find good and blessing (our treasure), then and there we will experience gratefulness (our heart). Gratitude arises in consciousness through the positive quality of our attention and intention.
There is a story about a grandmother walking with her six-year-old grandson on the beach. Suddenly, a rogue wave comes and grabs the child, carrying him out to sea. She looks up to the sky, shakes her fist, and says, “God, this is unconscionable and unbearable. You cannot take an innocent child!” Just as those words come out of her mouth, another wave deposits the child at her feet, smiling. She scoops up the child in her arms, looks up to the sky, and says, “God, this child had a hat!” This reminds us to be grateful for what we have, rather than clamoring for what we do not.
Oftentimes, we can fall into those ruts of taking things for granted, not recognizing the value of what we do already have. How wonderful would it be if we were to live each moment of our lives not taking things for granted? What would it be like if we were to appreciate, or lift up and increase in awareness, the sacredness present in every experience, occasion, relationship, and person?
Sure, we can continue to focus on what we do not have or like. Yet, running through that line of thinking is an unspoken assumption that we do not already have within us the key to gratitude. As we come back to that truth of our being – that we have within us the freedom of choice and the power of faith – we can recognize and appreciate the blessings that we do have and support each other in spiritual fellowship to see it too.
Gratefulness does not have to stop at seeing and feeling. It starts within, but does not have to stay there. The fullness of gratitude comes when we live it out, expressing it through our daily activities and relationships. The more we show appreciation for the good in our lives, the more we simply and genuinely tell others and ourselves, “Thank you,” the greater we will feel gratitude and peace within.
In this light, let us join together in a spiritual practice of inner reflection. Whenever we encounter a difficulty or frustration, we may ask ourselves, “What is it I can be grateful for here?” “What do I already have that I appreciate?” “Where and how do I demonstrate my gratitude to others and to myself?” Indeed, friends, we can do great things when we cultivate grateful hearts.
Later, the elder let another student taste the water. He spit it out, saying it was terrible. Apparently, over the four days in the old leather container it had become stale. The student challenged his teacher: “Master, the water was awful. Why did you pretend to like it?” The teacher replied: “You only tasted the water, whereas I tasted the gift. The water was simply the container for an act of loving-kindness.”
This compelling story speaks to a profound truth about our lives. It tells us about the monumental importance of cultivating gratefulness in our lives and relationships. We often think of gratefulness especially during holidays or special events when we get an opportunity to remember and celebrate what we are thankful for. However, gratefulness does not have to be relegated only to these occasions. We are able to tune in to our innate capacity for gratefulness each moment of every day.
Despite appearances, circumstances, or the outer forms, the tribal elder in the story was able to clearly perceive the spirit of the gift, the love from which it came. In other words, he was able to be grateful when he could’ve not been. He was able to experience gratitude even when circumstances were “distasteful.” Likewise, we can develop gratefulness just like any other spiritual capacity. We do not have to go out and get a gratitude injection, take some thankfulness pill, or await the “gratefulness fairy” to come and shower us with thanksgiving dust. Not at all! We become grateful by our own intention.
Each one of us has that innate spiritual power of free will. This means that we always have the ability to choose. While we may not always have a choice about what we experience in life, we definitely have a choice about how we experience events. Even when we find ourselves in the midst of hardships or things not going like we want, we can decide to behold the good in the situation. This is possible because Spirit is always present. God the Good is abiding within every circumstance, but we have to attune our attention to the blessing that is there. Just like the biblical story of Jacob wrestling all night with God in human form, we can say to each condition, “I will not let go until you bless me.” (Gen. 32:23-34) We too can find the gem, but we must look for it and claim it.
Gratitude comes when we continually opt to see the blessings in our lives – persons, relationships, events, places, memories, and ideas. Gratefulness is all about being FULL of GREAT-ness in our hearts, using our perceiving power of faith and free will to witness and embrace the good in every situation.
One of those deep and momentous precepts of Jesus is: “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Mt. 6:21) Now, there is effectively a vast array of ways to interpret this, as with any text. However, given the context of gratitude, Jesus may be alluding to the potent insight that whenever and wherever we resolve to find good and blessing (our treasure), then and there we will experience gratefulness (our heart). Gratitude arises in consciousness through the positive quality of our attention and intention.
There is a story about a grandmother walking with her six-year-old grandson on the beach. Suddenly, a rogue wave comes and grabs the child, carrying him out to sea. She looks up to the sky, shakes her fist, and says, “God, this is unconscionable and unbearable. You cannot take an innocent child!” Just as those words come out of her mouth, another wave deposits the child at her feet, smiling. She scoops up the child in her arms, looks up to the sky, and says, “God, this child had a hat!” This reminds us to be grateful for what we have, rather than clamoring for what we do not.
Oftentimes, we can fall into those ruts of taking things for granted, not recognizing the value of what we do already have. How wonderful would it be if we were to live each moment of our lives not taking things for granted? What would it be like if we were to appreciate, or lift up and increase in awareness, the sacredness present in every experience, occasion, relationship, and person?
Sure, we can continue to focus on what we do not have or like. Yet, running through that line of thinking is an unspoken assumption that we do not already have within us the key to gratitude. As we come back to that truth of our being – that we have within us the freedom of choice and the power of faith – we can recognize and appreciate the blessings that we do have and support each other in spiritual fellowship to see it too.
Gratefulness does not have to stop at seeing and feeling. It starts within, but does not have to stay there. The fullness of gratitude comes when we live it out, expressing it through our daily activities and relationships. The more we show appreciation for the good in our lives, the more we simply and genuinely tell others and ourselves, “Thank you,” the greater we will feel gratitude and peace within.
In this light, let us join together in a spiritual practice of inner reflection. Whenever we encounter a difficulty or frustration, we may ask ourselves, “What is it I can be grateful for here?” “What do I already have that I appreciate?” “Where and how do I demonstrate my gratitude to others and to myself?” Indeed, friends, we can do great things when we cultivate grateful hearts.
