Choice 2: Thanklessness or Gratitude?
Our reflections for the next section focus on choosing gratitude. In the introduction to her devotional book, Jesus Listens, Sarah Young gives an example of an incessant prayer that increased anxiety instead of bringing peace. She suggests that when you find that you are increasingly anxious as you pray about something that you instead change your focus to thanking God for how He is answering the prayer (p. xiii). I am practicing that today. Our Choice 2, Week 1 reading finds Peter and his companions very sleepy. When they awake, they witness Jesus in His glory. Instead of falling into a stupor and repeating the same prayers over and over this week, I encourage you to shift these prayers to thanking God for what He is doing in the moment. Instead of lamenting, Why aren’t You answering me, God?, look for the answers He is providing, i.e. enabling you to keep your comment to yourself and instead listen to a friend in need, giving you a peaceful moment of beauty in the midst of a stressful day, empowering your loved one to make a step forward with a positive choice, opening a door for you to show love to someone else, etc. Thank You, God!
