The Grateful Lifestyle

“I will thank you by living as I should!” (Psalm 119:7 NLT)

I have been a vegetarian for over a year now. I stopped eating animals for ethical and health reasons. However, my vegetarianism is limited. I still eat animal products like milk and eggs. I don’t pay too much attention to the ingredients in packaged foods to see if it has traces of lard or gelatin. I also buy and cook meat and fish for other family members. My friend Kathy is a vegan. While vegetarians eat dairy and eggs--since these do not require the killing of animals, vegans abstain from all animal products including leather and wool. Kathy is completely committed to a vegan lifestyle. As a scientist and conservationist, she devotes her work and life to taking care of  animals. I admire Kathy, but I’m not eager to change my lifestyle to that level. 

I have a similar, scattered approach to gratitude. I have developed the habit of noticing and writing down things for which I am thankful. I remember to praise God for all good things. However, my lifestyle is not saturated with an attitude of gratitude. My thoughts are pockmarked with bitterness, anger, impatience, disgust, annoyance, frustration, and resentment. My behavior is often influenced by these thoughts. I may say words of thanks and praise to God, but my character reveals incongruities. While I believe in the benefits of a grateful lifestyle, I have only partially committed to practicing it...thus far. 

Lord, I thank you for every aspect of my life, including what I perceive as good and bad. I want to have a grateful lifestyle. I sense that this is what You want for me, too. Lord, help me. May Your will be done.