I was reminded recently of a Ghanaian proverb which says:
‘Even the chicken, when it drinks,
Lifts its head to heaven to thank God for the water’

Behind this proverb lies the observation that not only chickens, but most birds, drink by gravity. That is, they dip their beak in the water, take and hold a sip of it, and then lift their heads high in the air until the water trickles down their throat. Of course, they are not literally thanking God for the water, but they look as if they are, and Ghanaians have turned their action in to a parable.

Gratitude is certainly a godly virtue, which should characterise all the people of God. True, during their wilderness wanderings, the Israelites were continually complaining against God and against Moses. Yet in later liturgical worship of the Temple one of the commonest refrains was <em>‘O give thanks to the LORD, for he is good’</em>, with the congregational response <em>‘for his love endures for ever’</em>(Psalm 136).

During his public ministry, when Jesus healed ten men suffering from leprosy, he expressed astonishment that only one of them came back to give thanks. As those who have tasted the grace of God, gratitude should arise spontaneously within us. So, when Paul prayed for his Colossian friends, he included the petition that they might be <em>‘joyfully giving thanks to the Father’ </em>(Col 1:11-12) for their salvation and for all other blessings too.

It seems that no matter where we look there is so much around us that can so easily lead us to grumble. Let’s choose to be different. Let’s choose to practice gratitude.