I read a book (or most of it at least) called ‘Ruthless Trust’ by Brennan Manning. Its a books about how trusting God completely can transform lives. One particular chapter stood out to me. It was the chapter on gratitude. The general message if the chapter is that the people who trust God the most are also the people who are the most thankful. Gratitude and trust are linked.
The reason this chapter stood out is because I realised I know people for who that is the case. Maybe you know some too. They are the people who can always find something in a situation to give thanks for, no matter how hard the situation is. They are able to acknowledge the reality of what’s going on and still find something to thank God for. I think those people are remarkable because when things get tough for me, more often than not I moan rather than thank!
This chapter came back to mind when I was thinking about Mary. Her whole life gets turned upside down in an instant. She is visited by an angel with no warning to be given news she wasn’t expecting which throws every plan for the future out of the window. And yet, her response is one of deep trust. “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled.”
It’d hard to imagine what our response would be. In part, because society had changed so much that the gravity of the news back then is not comparable to if the news was given today. But even when something happens and plans go out of the window and everything gets disrupted, we can grumble and moan or get stressed and anxious.
That doesn’t seem to be Mary’s response. Her response seems to be one of peaceful acceptance. She visits her cousin who is also pregnant and we get a fantastic song often used in evening services called the Magnificat. It is a song of peace, and a song of gratitude. Mary is able to look at the whole situation and know it will change everything, and yet her trust is such that she is able to express gratitude for the gift God is giving. Or maybe it’s because she can see the gift to be thankful for that she is able to trust so deeply.
It is something I plan on cultivating more in my own life: an attitude of gratitude. Finding things in every situation to be thankful for. Because if gratitude leads to trust, deep trust gives peace of mind in all situations. It just seems like a good idea to me.
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