The Grateful Writer
The famous Latin author, Cicero, wrote that "gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others." A few decades ago, a southern pastor named John Haggai said just about the same thing in a sermon. He made the point that Adam and Eve sinned because they were not grateful for all that God had given them and wanted more.
Lately, I've been thinking a lot about gratitude. Cicero may have been right in observing that gratitude is the "parent" of all other virtues. A grateful heart is a heart of faith. It is a heart that recognizes that all we have is a gift from God and that without Him, we are nothing and can do nothing.
Let's apply the concept of gratitude to our writing by asking ourselves the following questions:
1) Do I regularly thank God for the writing gift He has given me?
2) Am I thankful when my writing is going badly as well as when my writing is going well? The Word commands us to give thanks in everything (I Thessalonians 5:18). Notice God doesn't say FOR everything, but IN everything. This means that no matter what happens with our writing, we are to thank God in the midst of it.
3) Am I thankful for the resources with which God has provided me to fulfill His call to write: my eyesight, my hearing, my strong fingers that type, my computer, my telephone, my books, my local library, my magazine subscriptions, my car, my CD player, etc., etc., etc. The list is endless.
4) Am I thankful for those who support me in my writing? My family? My friends? My church? My prayer group? My critique group?
Years ago, I began keeping a Gratitude Journal. There's nothing like a Gratitude Journal to help lasso your mind toward the positive things in our lives rather than the negative.
So let me get the gratitude ball rolling by saying I am so thankful for all of you, our precious Musers Who Matter. Thank you for enriching my life. Thank you for being interested in this blog. Thank you for your comments. Thank you for who you are and for the marvelous ways in which you have blessed me. Thank you for being writers who love God and want to be faithful to His call on your lives. Thank you most of all for being you.
And that's my "musing that matters" for today. What's yours?
Blessings,
MaryAnn
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Comments
Because of today's blog, I now have a sign taped to the top of my screen here saying, "thank you Jesus for the writing gift you have given me". I will try to remember to thank Him each time I sit down here to write. I am grateful for the reminder from you, Dr. MaryAnn. Also I am thankful to the Lord and you for your encouragement, instruction and motivation. I pray that I have opportunities to do the same for others as you have generously done for us. Thank you so very much.
I am especially thankful for the Christian writing mentors (like MaryAnn) who have believed in me and encouraged me--often not knowing that their words came at a time that I was doubting my call, or just needing a word of cheer.
I love the idea of a Gratitude Journal.
I have a lot of difficulty being thankful many days. Sometimes it's hard to see past our circumstances. But I'm working at being content with what God has determined for my life. He loves me, after all, and if I believe that to be true, must also believe He ordains my life in accordance with His will. I have to remember He sees the beginning from the end. He alone knows what is needed in my life to mold me into the child He is pleased with.
Sometimes that hurts. All the more reason to work at being thankful and content. And the best thing of all is that He doesn't leave me to do it alone. I can use His strength to accomplish it.
So, why don't I? Again, circumstances rise and I'm weary.
But then He comes along and picks me up. :)
I, too, am thankful for this blog, Mary Ann. Thanks for being obedient in starting it when you didn't know who it would reach.
God is good!
MaryAnn, you are so right to call attention to the concept of gratitude; we often take too much for granted, and many of us never take the time to thank God or all the people in our lives. I once kept a gratitude journal, prompted by Simple Abundance, and it was amazing to see the many things I had to be grateful for; big and small. I think Cicero's idea suggests we look deep into our hearts and really feel a deepening of the Holy Spirit's light in our lives, and once we discover this central, all important focal point, we need to be grateful and do what God intends for us.
Well, I was sailing along splendidly through your blog till I got to #2. That's a zinger for me today because an editor rejected an idea of mine yesterday and I've been bummed ever since. But rejections are just part of the writing process, and I must thank God for them. He knows where my writing should be, and if He shut a door, there's a good reason for it. MaryAnn, thank YOU for your blog. I have put into practice some of the things you've suggested here, and my writing is better for it!
Dear MaryAnn...
Reading everyone's notes must make you realize how much you mean to all of us. Your knowledge, your faithfulness, your caring and sharing, and most of all your love of the Lord are what make you such a special person. Thanks for taking so many precious hours of your time to instruct us, encourage us, and to be available when we need your help. May God bless you in unexpected ways this year for all you do for us. I am especially grateful that you are part of my life.
Dear Musers Who Matter,
Thank you so very much for all of your kind expressions of gratitude. They warm my heart and make me appreciate you all the more.
Love and Blessings,
MaryAnn
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You're welcome!
I have this theory about the importance of receiving. If we have difficulty receiving from people--things such as thank you's, compliments, gifts--we will have difficulty receiving from God. I want to be open and ready to receive all the wonderful things God has in store for me so I make it a habit to practice receiving from people gracefully. It blesses me AND the one giving. So, in response to your rolling ball of Thank you's, I say "You're so very welcome". :)