A grateful heart is essential to living faith. Sincere believers keep ever in mind that God’s power and grace sustain them, and for that they are grateful. Children first learn gratitude when the family says grace at meals, in the simple act of thanking God for the food on the table.
As we recognize God’s grace everywhere, guiding our path and helping us in our weakness, we find more to be grateful for. When we encounter difficult situations, we can take the challenges as opportunities for growth and as God’s gifts intended to push us to higher peaks of love and service. Gratitude is the way to live with God, living in time with His rhythm.
There is no room for complaint. Complaining is poison to the spirit, automatically separating us from God and blinding us to His good will.
Our gratitude increases when we recall our indebtedness to all those who have loved and invested themselves on our behalf—parents and teachers, siblings, spouse—and to all those we depend on for sustenance and protection—the soil and its produce, the workers who prepare and deliver food to our table, make the appliances we use and the cars we drive, the police and firemen who protect us, the doctors and hospitals who treat us when we are sick—the list is endless.
Ultimately we are indebted to God, the Source of our life and the Author of our salvation. How can we possibly repay all these debts? At least we can be grateful; then we also can give to others.
Sun Myung Moon
Gratitude and Thanksgiving for God’s Gifts
O you who believe! Eat of the good things that We have provided for you, and be grateful to God, if it is Him that you worship. Qur’an 2.172
God created foods to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for then it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. 1 Timothy 4.3-5
Abraham caused God’s name to be mentioned by all the travelers whom he entertained. For after they had eaten and drunk, and when they arose to bless Abraham, he said to them, “Is it of mine that you have eaten? Surely it is of what belongs to God that you have eaten. So praise and bless Him by whose word the world was created.” Talmud, Sota 10b (Judaism)
It is God who has made the night for you, that you may rest therein, and the day, as that which helps you to see. Verily God is full of grace and bounty to men, yet most men give no thanks. It is God who has made for you the earth as a resting place, and the sky as a canopy, and has given you shape—and made your shapes beautiful—and has provided for you sustenance of things pure and good; such is God, your Lord. So glory to God, the Lord of the Worlds! Qur’an 40.61, 64
Ah, children— Be not arrogant, but Assist the deities of Marvelous spirit power In their work. Even the grains, and the Teeming grass and trees— Even these are favored with Blessings from Amaterasu, Great Goddess of the Sun. Morning and evening, At each meal you take, Consider the blessings of Toyouke-no-kami, You people of the world. The blessings of the Gods of heaven and earth— Without these, How could we exist, Even for a day, even for a night? Forget not the grace Of generations of ancestors; From age to age, the ancestors Are our own ujigami, Gods of our families.10 Norinaga Motoori, One Hundred Poems on the Jeweled Spear (Shinto)
The unworthy man is ungrateful, forgetful of benefits [done to him]. This ingratitude, this forgetfulness is congenial to mean people… But the worthy person is grateful and mindful of benefits done to him. This gratitude, this mindfulness, is congenial to the best people. Anguttara Nikaya 1.61 (Buddhism)
One upon whom We bestow kindness But will not express gratitude, Is worse than a robber Who carries away our belongings. Yoruba Proverb (African Traditional Religions) Be not like those who honor their gods in prosperity and curse them in adversity. In pleasure or pain, give thanks! Mekilta to Exodus 20.20 (Judaism)
Sun Myung Moon
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
Before eating food, good men and women first remember the bounties of Heaven, then the earth, and then humankind. (Way of God’s Will 1.1.2)
What is the essence of a life of faith?
It is a heart of gratitude to God. That heart is the basis by which we can transcend the ordinary relationship fallen people have with God and enter a higher relationship with God—that of oneness. Should we thank God only when we are prospering? No.
Did God care for us only when things were going well for Him? No. The more difficult the situation, the more firm was God’s determination, regardless of the suffering, to labor and struggle on our behalf.
Therefore, today, to properly serve God as our Father, we should demonstrate our gratitude to Him when we are going through difficult situations rather than easy ones. When you understand this principle, you will be able to give gratitude to God even when your path requires you to bear a very heavy cross. (29:338, February 16, 1970)
Let us become people who at the morning breakfast table ask ourselves what we are going to do after we eat this food; who at the lunch table feel ashamed and remorseful over what we have left unfinished; and who at the dinner table reflect whether we have spent the day well and concluded it without lack. Father, may we be Thy children who ask ourselves whether we start the day as Thine, and having arrived currently, are Thine?
Yet have we spent this day with worldly minds? When we remember Thy concern for us, we know we must spend this day valuably. When we lay down in bed, exhausted, do we have any regrets about things left undone? May we not go to bed until we have repented with tears…
Though my body is exhausted, at the point when I can hold on no more, I must think that in Thy longing for me: Thou hast overcome suffering harsher than mine. I recognize that only by overcoming this suffering can I become a son or daughter who can comfort Thy sorrowful past; therefore, I shall purify myself on the path to becoming Thy child and offer myself completely as a sacrifice before Thee. To live with gratitude—there is nothing else. If some of us were given wives who are inadequate, still we can be grateful that Thou has given us such wives, for we can serve them throughout our life.
If our children become the cross of our life, still we can be grateful that through them Thou provideth us a way to bear a cross. Though circumstances drive us to the pits of despair in situations we cannot control, though we may collapse, let it be reckoned as an opportunity to reaffirm our gratitude to Thee as Thy sons and daughters. (29:238, March 14, 1970)
Father! Please enable me to feel grateful for all the grace Thou hast given, that a day could come when I could meet Thee—a day like today. (39:78, January 9, 1971)
Although you have nothing with you, you are happy because you are eating with the most wonderful Person. (Way of God’s Will 1.8)
Even as we endure and bear up under difficulty, we should be thankful and sing hymns.
God may be on His way to visit us, but if He sees that we are enduring not thankfully but with bitterness, He will turn back. With what do we need to endure? A thankful spirit! Without a thankful spirit, we cannot endure. And even if we do endure, if we do not have a thankful heart, God cannot be with us. (44:28-29, May 4, 1971)
What was the Fall? [The archangel] compared himself to everyone from a self-centered viewpoint; this led to complaint. Complaint led to rebellion. Therefore, complaint is not permissible for believers….
To complain is essentially to attack God. But as we human beings have to repay God, complaining to God is absolutely unacceptable. My life up until now has been like that.
I could never be a complainer, even though I was put in prison and tortured to the point of vomiting blood. Even though the entire world opposes me, I am grateful, knowing that it is severing my relationship with Satan’s realm.
It is natural that we receive opposition as long as the enemy’s realm exists. Therefore, let us not complain. Let us be grateful for everything and every circumstance, and let us go our way in silence. (September 11, 1972)
Today God is examining us, looking at whether our hearts are truly thankful. It is like in a courtroom: when a criminal is being sentenced, if he or she accepts the sentence with gratitude, the judge and even the prosecutor will want to show mercy and reduce the penalty. (104:279, June 1, 1979)
Sun Myung Moon
Our Debt to God, to Nature and to Our Forbearers, Which We Repay by Helping Others
All human bodies are things lent by God. With what thought are you using them? Ofudesaki 3.41 (Tenrikyo)
When a man is born, whoever he may be, there is born simultaneously a debt to the gods, to the sages, to the ancestors, and to men. When he performs sacrifice it is the debt to the gods which is concerned. It is on their behalf, therefore, that he is taking action when he sacrifices or makes an oblation. And when he recites the Vedas it is the debt to the sages which is concerned. It is on their behalf, therefore, that he is taking action, for it is said of one who has recited the Vedas that he is the guardian of the treasure store of the sages. And when he desires offspring, it is the debt to the ancestors which is concerned. It is on their behalf, therefore, that he is taking action, so that their offspring may continue, without interruption. And when he entertains guests, it is the debt to man which is concerned. It is on their behalf, therefore, that he is taking action if he entertains guests and gives them food and drink. The man who does all these things has performed a true work; he has obtained all, conquered all. Satapatha Brahmana 1.7.2.1-5 (Hinduism)
The kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; and as he could not pay, the lord ordered him to be sold, and his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, “Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.” And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. But that same servant, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat he said, “Pay what you owe.” So his fellow servant fell down and besought him, “Have patience with me, and I will pay you.” He refused and went and put him in prison till he should pay the debt. When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to their lord all that had taken place. Then his lord summoned him and said to him, “You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you besought me; and should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?” And in anger, his lord delivered him to the jailers, till he should pay all his debt. Matthew 18.23-34
Sun Myung Moon
Teachings of Sun Myung Moon
Where did your life come from originally?
From your parents, who invested themselves in you, and from nature, which gave you the food to make your flesh, blood and bones.
If you were to repay everything that they have lent you, you would have nothing left. Furthermore, you are indebted to God, who originally gave you life.
What, then, do you have left?
God, your parents, and nature invested themselves in you; therefore, you are a chunk of indebtedness. Have you paid these debts? Are you even trying to pay them? At least a debtor can be thankful. Your creditors are not asking you to pay your debt.
In fact, they are not even claiming that you owe them. How thankful you ought to be! Jesus told a parable about a cruel servant. His lord had generously forgiven him a debt he could not pay, but he turned around and threw a man into jail who was indebted to him. On hearing of it, his lord spoke angrily to him for being so cruel after he himself had received mercy.
We have nothing that is inherently ours. God gave us life unconditionally, without requiring us to sign any contract or pay interest on his loan or repay the principal within a fixed number of years. The only way we can repay Him and show our gratitude is by giving to others. (93:193, May 29, 1977)
The attitude of a believer must always be that of a debtor. Have you paid your debts? If you have no worldly debts, why not incur some debts as a form of training?
You should experience the hardships of being in debt. It is truly miserable. If you owe even a penny, your creditor can grab you by the lapels and treat you like dirt. In the same way, since you owe a debt to God, it is not proper for you to assert yourself. (43:108, April 25, 1971)
God must be so exhausted, coping with the billions of fallen people in the world. How tired must God be as He strives to fulfill His will! So if you pray, “Heavenly Father, don’t worry. I will do it!” Even if it is just words, God would approve. When you pray in such a way, God says, “Wow! That person is a great guy. He has a future.” (93:22, May 8, 1977)
What can you pay in return for receiving the grace of God?
You have to say, “I will pay for it with my filial love.” (Way of God’s Will)
We may be anxious, we may be lonely, our situation may be miserable, but when we recall that Thou, O Father, art even more miserable than we, we understand that we must become sacrifices and comfort Thee, our pitiful Father. (25:38, September 28, 1969)
Sun Myung Moon