A Choice to Make

“Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:14-15 (ESV)

Gratitude is a choice. I believe it is because no one forces you to do it. I’m sure someone taught you but after a while, the choice is completely and truly yours. While that choice can be influenced by variables such as culture, family of origin and religion, the choice is up to you. 

Here is how culture may influence people’s experiences of gratitude. One study found that men in the United States reported experiencing gratitude less frequently than those in Germany, and another study found that American, Brazilian, Chinese, and Russian children differed in the ages and extent to which they expressed different forms of gratitude.

Beneath the layer of culture, there lies the choice to be grateful.

The people of Israel had a choice to make. Would they serve God or would they choose to serve other gods? There were clear consequences to their choices. The True and Living God offered blessings to His people. Serving other gods offered curses and ultimately, eternal death.

I believe that when God called you on this journey of 40 days of no complaints, He started with the awareness of your problem. He also told you to choose which life you wanted to live. Will you choose the lie of a life of complaints or the blessings of a life of thanksgiving? The choice is up to you. 

Changing is not easy. What’s even worse is not choosing God’s blessings for your life. 

Regardless of your culture, family of origin or current financial status, gratefulness is a choice. I hope you choose it over turning back to the way you used to be. 

Prayer: God, we want to choose your ways above our own. We want to choose the way you do things because you are the True and Living God. Help us to choose you with our actions and with grateful words from the heart. In Jesus’ name, Amen.