There is an undeniable rush from getting it off of your
chest. Complaining gives us a way of putting it out there, getting them told,
saying exactly what we feel. It makes us feel alive and relieves pressure and
pain, allows us to shake it off. Thing is, an emotional outlet is a temporary
high and worst yet, only benefits the person venting. Besides, emotions are
capricious, unreliable; we will know one thing, but feel something completely different.
Complaining may feel good at the onset,
but will leave us empty and lacking when it's all said. To be grateful is indeed another animal.
To be thankful is not necessarily instinctive. We are by
nature selfish beings. And if we don’t train our hearts to be grateful, we will
live in a state of perpetual need—or should I say, never ending want. Most of
the times our unthankful attitudes stem from the expectation that our blessings
should be presented in a certain way, at a certain time, for all the world to
see and admire. But many times they come in subtly, unassuming, providing something
here, there and over there. They don’t always come through the beautiful or
popular people; no trumpets make the announcement, no grandeur (man how we
love grandeur) involved. They often come in the form of unpretentious strangers
lending a hand or advice, or circumstances that just somehow work out in our
favor. You may see them through ideas or creative thoughts in which, if we act upon
them gives us exactly what we need. This requires us to take action. Sometimes
we are waiting on the wind and the blessing is in the rain. We miss it because
we ignore it-- stubborn and ungrateful because it isn’t the way we imagined it.
Gratefulness opens and expands our capacity to see God’s
goodness and receive it when it comes. It helps us to forget what hasn’t materialized
because we are centered on what is present. It is gratefulness that opens the hand of
God. And it also allows us to give because we are so appreciative of what we
have until it seems ridiculous not to give back. It takes the focus off of us and
puts it on Him. It keeps us loving, hopeful and happy and that is so much more
than a little venting could ever do.
