Article April 10, 1948 Issue

GRATITUDE

JEANNE ROE PRICE

One of the precious gifts with which God blesses His children is gratitude. Henry Ward Beecher, well-known theologian of the last century, speaking of gratitude once said: "If one should give me a dish of sand, and tell me there were particles of iron in it, I might look for them with my eyes, and search for them with my clumsy fingers, and be unable to detect them; but let me take a magnet and sweep through it, and how would it draw to itself the almost invisible particles by the mere power of attraction.—The unthankful heart, like my finger in the sand, discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day, and as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings, only the iron in God's sand is gold!"

The thankful heart which finds "in every hour, some heavenly blessings" does more than express its gratitude in words, although this is, of course, tremendously important. The thankful heart lives its gratitude, lives it in accordance with Christ Jesus' teaching of love for God and man. It acknowledges God's power and presence in every detail of human living and humbly, gratefully, joyfully, obeys His commandments. "What we most need is the prayer of fervent desire for growth in grace, expressed in patience, meekness, love, and good deeds," writes Mary Baker Eddy in the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 4). She continues: "To keep the commandments of our Master and follow his example, is our proper debt to him and the only worthy evidence of our gratitude for all that he has done. Outward worship is not of itself sufficient to express loyal and heartfelt gratitude, since he has said: 'If ye love me, keep my commandments.'"

Christ Jesus lived a life of gratitude. He did not wait for a blessing or an answer to prayer before he expressed gratitude; it was spontaneous and continuous. At the tomb of Lazarus, before any visible manifestation of healing was apparent, the Master, acknowledging God's presence and power, gave thanks. "Father, I thank thee," he said, "that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me" (John 11:41, 42). Then with divine authority he commanded Lazarus to come forth from the grave; and Lazarus "came forth, bound hand and foot with grave-clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go" (verse 44).

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