Gratitude Turns Chaos Into Clarity
I'm Not Enough - Responses in Faith
We all have moments when we feel worn out, going through the motions, and losing sight of what truly matters. Once, I was out in the streets of El Salvador distributing coffee and tamales to the homeless. I remember one man who was sick with chikungunya but who nonetheless was going to get up at 4 in the morning to walk across town and look for work during the day. It gives a lot of perspective when we are suffering to look at others who are suffering much more than we probably ever will.
When Life Seems Unfair
Have you ever felt that life is unfair, while forgetting to count your blessings? When I see someone suffering deeply, part of me wants to cry out, “Why them?” But another part of me knows the harder truth: “Why not me? What makes me so special that I should be exempt from this suffering?”
Dealing With Suffering
Some people resign themselves to suffering, fearing that life will never get better. They sink into despair, convinced life will never improve. Other people rebel against it and go wild to feel alive, even though they are dying inside. Finally, some people embrace suffering. Their witness is simultaneously beautiful, inspiring, and horrible. These people force me to look at my own dealings with suffering and come to grips with why I am so afraid of it. Sometimes, I think it is because I feel entitled.
Entitlement
Entitlement makes us think we deserve special treatment. Then, when life doesn’t meet our expectations, it quickly turns into bitterness.
When people feel entitled, they want to be different from others. But just as frequently, they come across as indifferent to others (Psychology Today, Jane Adams, “What We Mean When We Talk About Entitlement).
We feel entitled because ultimately, we feel insecure. Subconsciously, we are unsure about our own capabilities and feel like we are not enough. We engage in negative self-talk and let poison drip into our minds and drown out our thoughts of goodness. When we repeat “I am not enough,” we forget that Jesus never speaks to us that way.
Feeling Overwhelmed?
If you ever feel overwhelmed by life’s unfairness, you’re not alone. This sense of being cut off – from God, from others, from ourselves – echoes the experience of the lepers in today’s Gospel. (cf. Lk. 17:11-19). Their exclusion led to deep moral suffering beyond the physical pain caused by their horrible disease. They faced indifference, disgust, and rejection.
We need to recognize our failings and weaknesses, but to bring them to our Lord and trust in Him. When Jesus healed ten lepers, nine walked away healed in body, but only one walked away healed in soul. Gratitude made all the difference.
What does the science say?
Genetics and neuroscience also have something to say about gratitude and happiness, as happiness expert Arthur Brooks mentions in an article. Some research even suggests a genetic link to gratitude – but regardless of our wiring, studies show we can train ourselves to be grateful, and that makes us happier.
Gratitude as a superpower
Gratitude is like a superpower – it wipes away resentment, lowers entitlement, and opens the doors to joy. Gratitude turns chaos into clarity. Whenever we react with gratitude, our perspective changes radically. It makes me think of Mother Cabrini, a saint who lived out gratitude among rejection and hardship. Though rejected by religious orders and redirected from her dream of Asia to the streets of New York, Mother Cabrini never lost her awareness of God’s Providence.
Striking out for a New World
At the Pope’s behest, she traded Asia for New York to care for Italian immigrants struggling to survive in the New World. She emphasized gratitude to her sisters, and her life gives testimony to the power of being thankful. Gratitude can transform hearts and lead to a faith-filled journey of mercy and service. Every trial and difficult circumstance led to her having more faith. Her faith held her up in difficult times.
Faith responds in gratitude. Even if we don’t always thank God as we should, He notices our return. So tonight, pause and thank God for three blessings. You may discover that gratitude doesn’t just change your perspective – it changes your soul.