Untitled Gratitude / Habakkuk 3: 17-19
There is a paper factory called Anyang in Gyeonggi-do. Established 42 years ago, it has been producing many papers such as student textbooks and Kleenex that we use at home. The company's [Jeon Jae-jun] is an 80-year-old man. However, they say that the paper factory will close soon, and the reason is surprising. It's not even bankrupt. It's not that the business doesn't work. However, Chairman Jeon Jae-jun said this. “When I first came here in 1961, the surrounding area was quiet, but during that time people gathered and the land price went up. I decided to donate it willingly after consulting with my family, thinking that I owe it to the citizens, not the money I worked hard on. We would like to thank the citizens of Anyang who suffered from dust and vibrations from the paper mill. Now that we are closing the factory, we give this land to the citizens.” He dedicated his company site 4,364 pyeong and the city value of 30 billion won to Anyang City the day before yesterday. There was a sincere attitude of gratitude on the faces of the 80-year-old smiling broadly as they revealed the will of the dedication, and they seemed infinitely happy. It is truly precious that a person has a heart to be thankful for in his or her life.
What thoughts go through our heads? “If the land is worth 30 billion won, how much would it be to build a building there? what a waste. Are you crazy!” Do you think this? Then we still lack the spirit of unconditional gratitude.
Someone made this analogy. “Buddhism is like a house of portraits, Confucianism is like a house of sacrifices, and Christianity is like a house of banquets. Indeed it is. Christianity is a religion of thanksgiving. So, the lifestyle of those who believe in Jesus should be a feasting attitude. A man named [William Law] famously said: “The greatest saint in the world is not the man who prayed much, nor the man who fasted much, nor the man who gave much almsgiving, but in everything he gave to God. He is a person who lives with gratitude.” I think that's really true. , when that criterion is a matter of . The Greek etymology of the word wai is the same. Joy is inward, gratitude is outward. is the content, and is the form of expression. Therefore, gratitude without joy is hypocrisy, hypocrisy, and nothing more than means and craftsmanship. The modern age is a generation without joy. Those who lost have no joy because they are unfair, and those who gain have no joy because they cannot gain more. In a nutshell, if you write it down, you worry about not having enough, if you write too much, you worry about protecting it.
It is said that 60 years ago, there were 72 living conditions necessary for people in the global village, and 18 of them were absolutely necessary. But now, sociologists analyze that 500 things are necessary for living conditions and 50 things that are absolutely necessary. There are more and more necessary and absolutely necessary things, and these are modern people who actually enjoy more, but is it really higher than the happiness index enjoyed 60 years ago? no. The modern age is still thirsty for happiness.
Who is the person to be grateful for and who is the person to resent? It is the same as ever. A resentful person only thinks about what he doesn't have. No matter how much you look at it, you have a lot of things and only think about what you don't have. And overly magnify it. So, who is grateful? A person who thinks about what he has. There are many things that we do not have, but we are always overflowing with gratitude by thinking about what we have and what we have. Even if it disappears, he is grateful for what he has already enjoyed.
[Confucius] said that there are several human figures that he dislikes.
First, those who rejoice in the failures of others; Second, those who slander their superiors, who crouch in front and swear at the back; Third, those who have courage but are not polite; I said someone I didn't know. But he said that the person he hated the most was the person who did not show gratitude.
And the phrase “though there are no plants in the fields, no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls” is even more hopeless. When crops cannot be harvested due to war, livestock must be sacrificed first of all. In a yard where there is not enough food for people to eat, they cannot afford to take care of animals. Also, in order to avoid hunger, livestock must be eaten. Therefore, fruits, field plants, sheep and cattle in Habakkuk's confession are absolutely necessary for human survival. Nevertheless, even if all these things are absent, it is a prayer of thanks from Prophet Habakkuk that he will not give up the hope of salvation for Jehovah and that he is thankful for that salvation.
Let us conclude with Habakkuk's gratitude. In one word.
What is the level of our gratitude? Can we really give thanks like the prophet Habakkuk? Even if the most precious and lifelike conditions in my life disappear from me, is there Habakkuk's gratitude that I can be thankful for? It is not that I am grateful if I have it, and I am not thankful when I receive it. Even if nothing is given to me, even if what I do not have is over, if I can give someone to give thanks, it will be a precious heart and precious faith.
There was a certain well-believing grandfather with the nickname “thank you, thank you.” This grandfather once went out to the street to buy a pound of meat and, on his way home, tripped over a stone. Just then, a dog passed by and grabbed the meat and ran away. Grandpa was standing there saying, “Thank you.” A young man passed by and asked what he was thankful for. Then my grandfather said, “Oh man, I lost my meat, but I didn’t lose my taste either. My taste is the same,” he said. That's right. In fact, no matter how much meat you have, if you don't have an appetite, you're not very grateful. It is a story that makes you think about what you are truly grateful for.
Dear saints!
There is a story like this. “A song is not a song until it is sung, a bell is not a bell until it rings, love is not love until it is expressed, and a blessing is not a blessing until you give thanks.” Yes. When we can truly confess our gratitude to God, we become grateful.