With Thanksgiving behind us for another year, is it time to return to our default level of thankfulness? If your gratitude were a color, how dull or vibrant would it be? Is saying “thank you” just a habit, trained in you since childhood, or is being grateful your normal attitude? The frequency and sincerity of saying “thanks” creates a variety of shades of grateful.
My Mysterious Mind
You might think I started thinking about gratitude because of our recent celebration of Thanksgiving, but I was compelled to ponder being grateful while in Maryland during the hospitalization and recovery of my granddaughter. As the illness was resolving and the family returned home, resuming a “normal” life was not possible. The trauma of a critically ill baby had shaken her parents in a way that would permanently change them. As my daughter and her husband searched for lessons learned from the time of suffering, one thought rose to the top for both of them – to be more grateful.
Both parents considered themselves to be already very grateful for their lives before the scare with their infant daughter. But the prospect of losing their beloved little girl deepened their level of gratitude. Which got me thinking about the attitude of being grateful and the possibility of it coming in various shades. If the level of gratitude could be measured, like the shades of paint, how light or dark could it be?
I was also moved by something simple and beautiful that happened in the wee hours of the morning, in the darkness of the hospital room, with my granddaughter lying at my side. I had hoped she would relax and go back to sleep if she were next to me. Unable to get comfortable with her face against my chest, I turned her over, so she was face up, and cradled her in my arm. There, in the blackness of the room, tubes taped to her delicate cheeks so she had oxygen and food, the precious baby girl began to clap. Instead of fussing or crying about her condition, she was clapping in the dark. Was she clapping about something, or just clapping?
So often we think of gratitude as connected to something. We are encouraged to count our blessings, or focus on the contents of our half-full glass, not the empty part. This advice, applied to my granddaughter, would suggest she was clapping because she was lying next to her grandmother. I’d like to think that might be true; but I suspect she just felt like clapping for no apparent reason at all. The room remained dark, but her clapping made my heart glow brightly.
If gratitude were a color, what color would it be? I think it would be all the colors, like full-spectrum light. Passing through a prism, the light is divided into the six colors of a rainbow. More simply, all the colors can be created from just three colors of light, namely red, green, and blue. If you have an old color television, where the pixels are large enough to be visible, you can look really closely and see all the colors are made of just three colors of light coming from the RGB screen. Gratitude, in its many shades, can be considered in a similar way, with its sources reduced to just three. More on that a bit later.
Message of Mystery Acres
There’s a battle that takes place in the forest, but only when people are there. And the skirmish isn’t visible, it’s a mental combat between two opposing perspectives. One side of the combat focuses on what’s here; the other obsesses about what’s missing.
Despite the abundance clearly visible, the “what’s missing” thoughts dwell on the absent. No year-round water source. No easy-to-use electricity. No septic system that runs effortlessly in the background. This is a bit like the “glass half-empty” analysis of life.
Focusing on what’s here, eyes see the beauty of the forest, the rocks, and the in-season wildflowers; ears hear the wind in the trees, the sound of birds, and the in-season babbling of the brook. In addition, the “what’s here” perspective notices the infrastructure of shelter available, with heat or air conditioning when a generator is running. The “what’s here” side is much like the “glass half-full” perspective of things. Except the entirety of forest is so much more than a half-glass of anything.
The message of Mystery Acres invites us to notice “what’s here” and avoid dwelling on the “what’s missing.” Furthermore, the forest beckons us to notice the glass itself, not just its contents. Rather than being distracted by the nature or amount of stuff, Mystery Acres’ message calls for a focus on life itself in its mysterious entirety. Like my granddaughter clapping in the dark of a hospital room, just being alive is worth celebrating.
Ancient Mystery’s Voice
“God is light; no darkness is in Him - none.” (1 John 1:5)
Most passages of the Bible have translations that are quite a bit different from each other. The transition from the original Hebrew or Greek to English it typically subject to a large variety of interpretations and language use. The fifth verse of the first letter of John is not like most Bible texts in that way; the translations are very similar. The three parts of this simple verse emphasize three points clearly and consistently across the various translations.
First, God is light.
Second, there is no darkness in God.
Third, this absence of darkness is complete. The phrase added to the different translations all carry the same meaning. These phrases include “none,” “not at all,” and “absolutely none.”
God is light. God is the absence of darkness. The contrast between light and dark has no gray area. The absence of God is darkness. The presence of God is the absence of darkness. Darkness isn’t a thing in and of itself. Darkness is the absence of light.
Are you experiencing darkness in your life? The words of Ancient Mystery suggest inviting God into those places. His presence can only bring light because He is only light. In Him there is no darkness at all – none, not a bit, none at all. Where God is there can only be light.
Living in Mystery
What does it mean to live in the mysterious shades of gratitude? Being more completely grateful is to have a broader spectrum of light. When the full-spectrum of light is combined, the result is the brightest shade of grateful. Being more grateful is to bring light into whatever parts of the spectrum are missing. If Red, Green, and Blue light can combine to form the entire spectrum of color possibilities, then another R, G, and B can bring richer colors of gratitude.
First, the R is for Relationships. Like red and the passion it represents, relationships bring love and purpose to life. Red, the color of blood, is the life flowing in and between us. Instead of trying to count your blessings to be more grateful, try listing the people in your life. As each person comes to mind, say “thanks” to the Creator who wove your lives together. And, while you’re at it, be thankful for the Relationship you have with the Creator.
Next, the G is for Goodness. Green brings to mind growth and hope; empty tree branches become alive with green in the spring. Instead of dwelling on the absence of leaves in the winter, proclaim the presence of goodness that will emerge in the spring. Life is good. God is good. To experience a brighter sense of gratitude, declare goodness, no matter the circumstances. Drive away self-pity for whatever about your circumstances is not the way you want it to be. Clap in the dark for no reason at all.
Last, the B is for Bounty. Like looking upward at the expanse of blue sky, consider the immeasurable bounty of your life. Yes, this includes acknowledging your abundance of stuff, but bounty is so much more than material things. Remember the experiences you have enjoyed, the memories made, the lessons learned. Notice not only what is in your glass, but the wonderful reality of the glass itself.
As an old mom to young parents, I know you have exasperating, shadow-filled times with your children. Invite more light into those dark places by expressing gratitude for the relationships you have with your children, even if those connections are strained. Many people never have children. Some have outlived their children. Proclaim the goodness of each child, refusing to dwell on current frustrations. Clap in celebration of your children, even in the dark times. Notice the bounty and wonder of a small human in the making.
When I think of being grateful, I consider my Great, Full life. Like full-spectrum light comprised of red, green, and blue, my full-spectrum life contains a richness of relationships, goodness, and bounty. What shade of grateful are you? Invite more light into today by more awareness of your relationships, the essential goodness of God and being alive, and the incomprehensible bounty of life itself.
Connecting with Mystery
Dear Lord of All Mystery, I confess to allowing too much darkness to block the full-spectrum beauty of the life You want for me. Thank You for the many people in my life, friends, family members, neighbors, and coworkers. Help me to assert the basic goodness of life, refusing to focus on whatever I think is wrong or missing. Thank You for the bounty with which you have stuffed my life. Forgive my self-pity and love of darkness. Thank You for being light; help me to know more completely the full-spectrum life of knowing You. Amen.
Notes from Dr. Mac
I have written about gratitude in previous publications, all prior to the Mystery’s Voice format. If you are interested in improving the “shade” of your gratitude, please see these additional resources:
Blessings: Are You Counting or Complaining?
Gratitude in Grief: Seeking Joy in Times of Loss
Stop Grumbling: Surrendering Your "Right" to Complain
Notice Things More: An Often Overlooked Path to Joy
Finding Enough: When life feels like too much or you feel like too little
If you want to do your own investigation of any of the scriptures I use, I suggest you go to Bible Gateway. This free online version of the Bible allows a search of words or phrases in various translations. To explore today’s reading, I suggest you read the broader context of the first chapter of first John.
You can find previous posts of my work at my ARCHIVE and organized compilations in the My Books section. You can also find Mystery’s Voice on Spotify.
I want to know what you’re thinking! You can email me at: Dear Dr. Mac or leave/send a message (see below). I love hearing from you!
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