Gratitude: The Key to Spiritual Clarity
Becoming Fully Human Through Divine Love
During my morning reflection today, one verse from Psalm 119:1-8 particularly resonated with me: "I will give thanks to you with a heart that does right as I learn your righteous rules" (v. 7). The poet highlights the challenge and necessity of integrating our emotions with reason. It's a learning process. We don't simply decide to "walk in the Lord's Instruction" and immediately know how to do it or possess the willpower to stay on that path. Instead, we build that strength over time, much like an athlete who trains her muscles through repetitive sets of lifting increasing weights.
In this process, God teaches our emotions to respond to life's stimuli as individuals who love what God loves. We desire God's desires and learn to act according to that unified intent. It’s a will to love rather than a will to power—one that inspires us to create rather than dominate. The guiding principle that directs our path is an attitude of gratitude. When we turn our hearts toward God with genuine thanks, the mists of confusion clear, our minds realign, and we adjust our course to "walk in the Lord's Instruction" (v. 1).
Through years of addressing God and being addressed by God in this way, we learn how to love God with all our heart, mind, and soul, ultimately becoming more fully human.