On Love and Gratitude

Men turn to power when they believe love to have failed.

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Gratitude is by nature dependent on the doctrine of the sovereignty of God. If God is not sovereign over all things, then it is impossible for one to be grateful in all things.

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Worrying is, at its heart, to accuse God of being stingy.

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Complaining is the outworking of ingratitude. We complain, because we are ungrateful for what we've been given. And there is nothing we have that did not originate as gift. All things we have are things we have received - if not from another person, then directly from the hand of God Himself. It's amazing how infectious complaining is. "Bad company corrupts good morals." This is true no matter who our company is - friends, family, even people who influence us through the media, such as tv. But it is probably most perpetuated by authority figures. We imitate those who are in authority over us. And when authority figures maintain a habit of complaining, they create a spirit of ingratitude, and therefore of complaining, in those they are in authority over.

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Discontentment and ingratitude are of a piece. If we are discontented, it isn't because we lack any need, but because we lack gratitude.

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Gratitude and ingratitude shape one's vision.  Gratitude sees beauty, and reciprocates by creating beauty.  Ingratitude sees ugliness, and reciprocates vindictively by creating ugliness.  Gratitude beautifies and is constructive, ingratitude uglifies and is destructive.  As such, all art and aesthetics are moral in nature.