December 12th
Fourteenth Day of Advent
Rooted and built up in him and established in faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
Colossians 2:7
Have you ever fallen in the pit of self-pity or self-righteousness? Perhaps, nothing seems right at work, or in your relationships, or in your health. Perhaps, frustration and anger infect a person or situation. We are right. They are wrong…. Sometimes, we laser focus on the seeming fault of another or the wrong in a situation…. And as we focus on all that seems wrong, we are blinded to God’s goodness all around us. We fall into the pit of self-pity or self-righteousness.
Honestly, I have been guilty of this very thing. On one particular occasion, as I focused on the seeming wrong around me, God yanked the reins of my heart, stopping me short. The conviction cut deep. I lacked gratitude and, as a result, I was blinded to God’s work around me. The fault belonged to me, not the situation or people. God squashed my self-righteousness and ingratitude.
Ingratitude toward God and human beings is a terrible thing, but it often comes dressed in other clothing – restlessness, concerns about self-fulfillment or entitlement, and irritation at not being properly valued or recognized. Once a “culture of complaint” is established, it spreads through communities and affects everyone.
Christina D. Pohl
Living into Community
Paul exhorts the Colossians to abound in thanksgiving. Paul understands how ingratitude stunts spiritual growth for both the individual and the community. Ingratitude spreads like a poison within the heart. In contrast, gratitude spreads peace, joy, and unity. When we literally name our blessings, our vision centers on Jesus and our eyes open to His work all around us.
When I go looking for a glimpse of Him, when I seek to fill the empty places with more of Him who is beauty, my equilibrium recalibrates to find its center in the Judge who became grace…
Ann Voskamp
One Thousand Gifts Devotional
During this Advent season, let us abound in gratitude, seeking to fill the empty places with more of Him who is beauty. Let us center ourselves in the Judge who became grace… grace in a humble manger.
Comments