An Attitude of Gratitude

The following meditation is by Dr. Michael B. Brown, former senior minister of Marble Collegiate Church in New York City.

The late Dr. Charlie White told a humorous story about an elderly woman deep in the Ozark Mountains. She possessed very little in material ways, but always maintained a spirit thankfulness for what she did have. When asked to say Grace at a family holiday dinner (with a huge spread on the table), she bowed her head and said: “Dear Lord, as I look at this food I find myself thinking, I may have only two teeth, but thank God they both meet!”  

Laughter is good medicine, the Bible tells us (Proverbs 17:22). It can also be the source of deep wisdom, as in the story of that woman who said Grace. An attitude of gratitude focuses not so much on the amount of possessions as on their quality. My dad was a man with that sort of perspective about things. As a teen, whenever I would return from a friend’s house and remark to Dad about how big and beautiful it was, he had a standard answer: “You can’t live in but one room at a time.” Or, when I would brag (hint, perhaps?) about some buddy’s new car and how great it was, he would say: “The purpose of a car is to get you safely from Point A to Point B. Yours does that, so it’s a `good’ car.” The older I grow, the more I understand the astuteness of his words.

This doesn’t mean, of course, that we should denigrate nice things or fail to appreciate such things when we possess them. It is rather to say that anything which is useful, anything that brings joy or comfort, is a “nice thing.” Think of Mary, as Luke tells her story in the first chapter of his gospel. 

• She is an unwed young girl (probably in her early teens). 
• She is betrothed (engaged in a legally binding way). 
• She and her fiancee are not people of means. 
• She is startled (Luke says “confused”) by an unexpected angel who brings an equally unexpected message. Mary “will conceive and give birth to a son” though, in her own words, she has not been “with no man.” (Luke 1:28-34)

At that moment, Mary was sure of a handful of things:

• Joseph would neither believe nor understand this strange tale, and he would in all likelihood end their relationship. 
• Neither his family nor her own would take her at her word.
• In her small town where everyone knew everyone else, her reputation would be ruined (she would be forever branded with a scarlet letter).
• Even her life could be in danger, as infidelity when betrothed was a capital offense should the betrayed party choose to pursue it. 

No wonder that young girl was alarmed. And yet, when she assessed the situation in its full context, and when she focused on the angel’s words, “the one who is to be born will be holy. He will be called God’s Son (Luke 1:35),” Mary exclaimed not with fear but with joy: “The mighty one has done great things for me!” (Luke 1:49)

Mary had every reason to envy others who possessed more, or to lament the challenges that had been placed before her. But instead, she focused on the blessings, hope in the midst of hard times, goodness located in a world of challenge. She realized it is not the quantity of one’s possessions that matter, but rather the quality. And what could bring greater quality than to know she had a personal relation with the Holy One who “will be called God’s Son”? (Luke 1:35) Her awareness of quality and her gratitude for it brought her a sense of deep joy. “The mighty one has done great things for me!” That’s the place we always wind up if we cultivate attitudes of gratitude.

Joy,