Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. Colossians 3:16
There is something in life that you can never get enough of: Gratitude. When it comes to the next generation, they are too often inwardly focused or on their smart phone, and they might miss the opportunity to actual make a difference in someone’s life simply by being gracious to someone else.
My wife is a collector of gratitude from our nine grandkids. It’s one of the things she often comments about them when describing them. One of our twin grandsons – after she had prepared a big breakfast with bacon and pancakes – told her “Gammy, that was the best bacon, but next time could you make the bacon a little crispier”. Nice try and we still laugh at the effort.
You can dole out gratitude anywhere you go. Even the barista that serves you coffee or a latte deserves a kind word. One writer went so far as to say, “thank you for keeping the bugs out of my coffee”. The barista replied: “That’s a little strange but I appreciate it. I don’t get a lot of gratitude.”
Earlier this week, I saw Angel who works at a nearby Panera and asked if she had been sick. She replied “yes”, and I said “well, we missed you.” She said: “I love that”. Doesn’t take much effort to make someone feel special.
A recent post by James Emery White of Charlotte drove home the breadth of being grateful for small things. He tells the story of Corrie ten Boom and her sister Betsy who were confined by the Nazis in a concentration camp named Ravensbruk. They had smuggled a bible into the camp and read that “all things they were to give thanks and that God can use anything for good”.
Betsy decided that that meant for her to be thankful for the fleas which infested the barracks, so she prayed to God thanking Him for the fleas. After a while, they realized a curious thing: none of the soldiers entered their barracks because of the fleas so they were never harmed nor assaulted.
They then started bible studies in their barracks leading many women to Christ. The takeaway White gives is that when you are facing adversity, uncertainty, physical or emotional challenges, you should consider praying with gratitude for your circumstances. If you are brave enough to pray for gratitude, “remember the fleas of Ravensbruk”.
Another author wrote a piece that also struck me – the essence was that we often overlook things to be grateful for until we miss them. Looking back at things in our past, we can see how circumstances or even places that we visited or lived were a blessing to us which we overlooked. The author goes on to convey the thought that there is a positive and negative sense of “indebtedness”.
On the negative side, you feel you owe someone a debt and the feeling that you need to repay it in some fashion. It can be harmful because it forces one to feel like they have to do something as opposed to wanting to repay a kindness.
Positive “indebtedness” is the flip side where it is a “pay it forward” type of feeling. You are encouraged to help others, not from a sense of obligation, but from a sense of helping them along their own spiritual and physical journeys.
As I look at my own journey as a mentor, this notion of “positive indebtedness” struck me as central to the role of a mentor. We do what we do out of a belief that use our life experiences as a way of paying it forward in someone else’s life. We don’t do it for recognition or awards. We are rewarded by seeing growth and maturity in our mentee’s life.
If you have never been a mentor, consider doing it as a form of gratitude for what God has done in your life. You have unique skills, talents, gifts, and experiences that the next generation can learn from. Investing in the life of another is one of the most rewarding activities that I can think of.
The next generation – starting with the millennials, then Gen Z and now Gen Alpha (the oldest of whom are 13), are in desperate need of someone to come alongside and help them. They are all around you. Just ask one if they would have coffee with you or even a meal. Listen to their story; ask questions. See what makes them tick and what their hopes and aspirations are. And then lean in to be a sounding board by giving them good biblical advice and counsel.
You will be grateful that you did.
MENTOR TAKEAWAY: Exhibiting gratitude to your mentee is the simplest way of showing appreciation and a visible teaching a valuable life lesson.
FURTHER READING
‘A ray of light’: How I found gratitude in trying times – Samantha Perfas.
Thankful for the Fleas – James Emory White.
WORSHIP: Gratitude by Brandon Lake
MentorLink 