Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
– Genesis 3:1, NIV
As a hospice chaplain, I see many different sorts of people on a daily basis. Often times, my favorite patients and families are the ones who have cultivated a spirit of gratitude. You know the type:
They thank you for your time and any small kindness shown to them.
Oddly, this observation made me think about the Fall and adultery. How many of our lives have been ravaged by adultery after gratitude had long departed from the marriage?
While your adulterous spouse was cheating, do you remember being showered with gratitude or fault finding? I suspect it was the later.
As I look at the story of humankind’s Fall, I see the same phenomenon at work. Instead of looking at the entirety of the bountiful garden God had given Adam and Eve, Eve focused on the one thing withheld. Gratitude was no longer guarding her heart. She was wide open to temptation, and Adam did nothing to help protect her.
Gratitude is so important for healthy spirituality. It reminds us of God’s goodness and undercuts Satan’s ability to exploit doubt in God’s character. Also, it makes us much better company for others.
Plus, we are called to be a thankful people:
Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.
– Colossians 4:2, NLT
What do you thank God for?
Life? Health? Job? Kids? Dog? Cat? A beautiful day?
God has given us much to thank Him for even in the darkest of valleys. Let’s not loose the ability to give Him thanks!
*This post ran previously (when I was still a hospice chaplain years ago).
My wife bought me a couple of books while the affair was going on, I wasn’t aware at the time, one was a sex book and the other was What Women wished men knew about women or some such. In the latter book, she highlighted, for my edification of course, certain points that I presume I failed at. There are multiple bulleted lists in this book, a veritable shopping list of pre-made complaints about men. As I flipped through them I noticed one list would have two or three things highlighted. I also noticed that the lists were usually 10+ items long. She only saw the bad in me, the three things I was not doing to her liking but failed to see the 7+ things I was doing right! @%#$ cheaters!
Typical of cheaters in their discard phase of us, sadly.
One of my pastors made a point in a Bible study about this. He said that you can go through the commandments and trace breaking them back to a lack of gratitude. (ie. Do you take God’s name in vain when you’re thankful for Him? Do you dishonor your parents when you’re thankful for them? Do you steal and covet when you’re thankful for what you have? Do you commit adultery when you’re thankful for your spouse?)
Good insight from that pastor! It is the opposite of entitlement, and cheaters have an entitlement issue.