An Unthankful Generation?

[vc_row padding_top=”0px” padding_bottom=”0px”][vc_column fade_animation_offset=”45px” width=”1/1″ id=”” class=”post-content” style=””][text_output]If you ever sat with an elderly person, you have probably heard stories. They will probably tell you how life was hard and how they persevered through adversity. Caribbean grandmothers often tell stories of how they had no shoes but they still had to walk miles to school; their feet anointed with coconut oil.

The stories we would hear may vary, nonetheless, most of our fore-parents understood what struggle was. These difficulties cultivated priceless values in them including an appreciation for the simplest of things. Hardship taught many of them to be thankful for what they either had or received.

Technology has changed the way we live and this world is very different from the one our grandparents knew. Today, everything is easier and convenience makes it easier for us to become isolated. Progress also means that it is harder for us to deny ourselves. Our generation is different from that of our grandparents, we take most things for granted, and the next will be worse.

Today, in this fast-paced and technologically advanced era, there seems to be little space for gratitude. The natural response is grumblings and complaints. Our grandparents themselves wanted to keep us from the difficulties they faced. That mindset plus technological convenience pushes us to a problem-free life but with it comes an unthankful mindset. Avoiding the hardship means missing out on the benefits of hardships as well.

Many parents say, “My child must never ‘suffer’ or ‘want’ the way I did.” This often means they overcompensate and give their child whatever they want. We want cushioned lives, thinking this is what will make us happy. A body that doesn’t exercise gets sluggish and lazy, a heart that doesn’t have stress gets weak and lazy.

Arguments, disagreements, challenges and stress are all necessary to develop personalities that can overcome the hurdles that life throws at us. How often do you put down your cell phone and have face-to-face time with your friends or family members; as stressful as it may be? When was the last time you wrote a letter, by hand, to someone who you consider precious?

We have many reasons to be thankful. But avoiding problems and difficulties means we will label burdens as misery and not hurdles to overcome. A happy and thankful heart will develop in us once we recover the heart our grandparents developed as they faced difficulties and overcame them. If not, we will complain both for what we have AND for what we don’t have.

Do you appreciate the people and things you have in your life? Or, do you find that you see more reasons to complain than to be thankful? Time to find challenges and give your heart strength.[/text_output][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row padding_top=”0px” padding_bottom=”0px”][vc_column fade_animation_offset=”45px” width=”1/1″][vc_raw_html]JTNDc3R5bGUlM0UlMEEuZW50cnktdGh1bWIlMjBpbWclMjAlN0IlMEElMjAlMjAlMjAlMjBtYXgtaGVpZ2h0JTNBJTIwNDAwcHglM0IlMEElN0QlMEElMEEucG9zdC1jb250ZW50JTIwJTdCJTBBJTIwJTIwJTIwJTIwdGV4dC1hbGlnbiUzQSUyMGp1c3RpZnklM0IlMEElMjAlMjAlMjAlMjB0ZXh0LWp1c3RpZnklM0ElMjBpbnRlci13b3JkJTNCJTBBJTdEJTBBJTNDJTJGc3R5bGUlM0U=[/vc_raw_html][/vc_column][/vc_row]