An attitude of gratitude

Posted by admin on Oct 6, 2010 in Featured Articles | 0 comments

Being American, I don’t typically recognize October as the time of year to be grateful, though I’ll readily accept a turkey dinner at any time of year(that’s a hint to my Canadian brethren). To me, November is the time to be thankful, but I suppose that’s the problem isn’t it? We can all too easily associate thanksgiving as a holiday, a feast, or a day off from school, but really thanksgiving should be a year round activity.

I know I can easily be distracted by the things that I want, think I need, or actually need. Essentially, all the things I don’t have. But what about the things that I do have.

Over the summer I was worrying over a variety of things, primarily finances, and how I would survive the summer, let alone return to TWU in the fall. Without a job, without any savings, and far from home I was
desperate. So, I did what I typically do in situations where I’m stressed;
I went for a drive and prayed. I don’t know what it is about being in a car and having a cigarette in hand that allows me to more attentively pray. I
suspect it has something to do with being able to cry out and just commune
with God in a very vocal way. And while I was doing this, pleading for His help in providing the things I needed, the things I didn’t have, I felt
His voice whisper to me, “You need to be grateful.”

This hit me hard. Here I was, basically begging for income and I needed to be grateful? Grateful? But the more this idea germinated in me, the more I recognized this simple truth carried a lot of power. Unsurprisingly, the next day a blog that I read was about having a more positive and grateful outlook on life. It recommended listing 10 things I was grateful for every day. And I have striven to do this since.

Not only has this list helped to encourage me in times of sorrow, it has also helped me dwell on the positives of the day, rather than the negatives which we naturally pay more attention to. So, it seemed appropriate to do a featured issue on gratefulness.

As my dad always tells me, “You need to have an attitude of gratitude.” And though I tire of hearing this, it is a good reminder of the outlook I should have. It’s important to take inventory of the good in life.

This upcoming weekend gives time for Canadians—and us temporary residents—to not just be grateful, as hopefully we are at all times, but to take time and consider how blessed we truly are. And we even get to articulate to those around us those things for which we are thankful. And for those of you who know me, you know I love to share what’s on my mind.

So what am I grateful for? I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve this student body on Mars’ Hill this year, and for the excellent staff I have beside me. Because without the support of this awesome team, this paper wouldn’t exist. I’m grateful for the staff and faculty here at TWU that I have grown to know and love and the endless sacrifices they make for students. I am grateful for God’s provisions that allow me to be here. I am of course grateful for the community. And yes, I am grateful for TWU.

It’s easy to critique TWU, and I think there is even a need for that. I also think that Mars’ Hill serves an important role in that critique. But all in all, TWU and its members have greatly impacted my life and I am thankful for it. And so with this issue, we wanted to ask students: are you grateful for TWU? Your answers are in the Spotlight. In this issue, we also ask if a Christian education is beneficial or detrimental, featured in this issue’s debate column. We even ask the question “ [are] Christian arts a blessing?” Because it’s important to not only consider we are grateful for TWU, but why.

So please, as you read this issue, consider if you are grateful for TWU, and why? Sound off online with comments and tell us if you even agree with our articles. But above all else, take time to consider what you are grateful for in your life because it has been said, “Reflect each day on all you have to be grateful for, and you will receive more to be grateful for.” – Chuck Danes.

Think on it,
Jason Brandl