Charles Stone
I’m sitting in a Panera restaurant as I write this blog (this happened a few years ago) and am stirred by two people I notice. One is an elderly gentleman who sits across from his wife. As he grips his coffee cup, his hands shake as fast as a drummer’s hands drum. He has Parkinson’s.
Just prior to seeing this man, I noticed a twenty-year-old flailing his arms up and down as his head rhythmically bobbed from left to right. His mother sat to his left and gingerly wiped the drool from his face. He sat confined to a wheelchair, obviously impaired from birth or by an accident.
As I thought about these two men, I felt convicted for how I sometimes focus on my minor problems. I’m not confined to a wheelchair. My body still is healthy. I have a full life with few impairments. The past few days have been difficult, and I often held a pity party which distracted my focus from the Lord onto my problems.
Seeing such suffering caused me to think about how important a role gratitude should play in the life of a leader. Whatever role God has given us, it is a privilege, an honor, and a sacred trust.
Problems come. Difficulties arise. Challenges persist. Yet, an attitude of gratitude can keep our hearts hot for Him, our focus in the right place, and our leadership most effective. Paul wrote these profound words.
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1Thess. 5:16)
How important a role do you believe gratitude should play in a leader’s life?