“There, but for
the grace of God, 
go I.”
John Bradford

I’ll be honest. I’m not exactly sure where I’m going with today’s blog post. 

Throughout my formative years, I heard my mother repeat John Bradford’s words quoted above countless times. I don’t know if she ever knew the words were attributed to Bradford, or if she even knew who Bradford was, but that’s not important. Because of Mom’s repeated reference to these words of wisdom, they were embedded in my psyche, and became the seeds of my own passion for compassion and gratitude.

It seems so easy for most of us to look upon those who have more than we do with some degree of envy — those who have a bigger home in a more upscale neighborhood, those who drive a nicer, more expensive car, those who travel the world in first-class accommodations. Such a mindset can cause us to look at our own lives with a sense of deprivation. We convince ourselves that we would be happier, that we would experience a greater sense of joy, if we, too, had these nicer things. 

Well,.. maybe not.

If we are not grateful for the things we do have, what makes us think we would be more grateful if we had more things, nicer things, things we convince ourselves might impress those around us and improve our social status?

I came across this quote from author Brené Brown just this morning. She wrote, “We’re a nation hungry for more joy… because we’re starving from a lack of gratitude.”

It was this statement that got me thinking about Bradford’s words. How often do we pause to reflect on the things we currently have in our lives with gratitude? How often do we think about and truly appreciate the people in our lives who love us, care for us, and challenge us to be better than we might otherwise be? 

It’s fairly easy for us to look around the world today and notice a lack of joy. It’s just as easy for us to look at our own lives with a similar sense of deprivation and unhappiness. This is precisely why Brené Brown claims that “we’re a nation hungry for more joy.” 

It’s imperative that we fine-tune our focus on gratitude, both for what we have in our lives and for those things that, by the grace of God, we don’t have to endure in our lives. Gratitude makes a difference!