Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Platitudes and Gratitude

I'm participating in a little Facebook challenge to post something or someone that I am thankful for throughout "Thirty Days of Thanksgiving" this November.

Easy-peasy, right?

I would follow through on that set-up and say, "WRONG," but well, actually it is pretty simple-- on the surface.

Cutting through platitudes and digging into the places of my heart that hold the deepest gratitude is the tough part of the assignment. I find myself not wanting to type what's expected, but rather desiring to reveal unknown pieces of my heart, hidden by time and distance or silenced by superficiality. But, I want to share more than what floats on the surface. Remember, "..deep calls unto deep..." (Psalm 42:7).

Having a forum to share our gratefulness is cathartic. It's difficult for me to stop at one thing, person or idea each day-- so I may not. I have a feeling that after November comes-and-goes, I will have plenty left inside my soul to expose.

Don't be satisfied with delivering platitudes; share gratitude.

Gratitude conveys love.

BeChange. LiveLove.
~Kirsten

2 comments:

  1. Hey lady,

    I find that it's incredibly hard to express my gratitude without sounding like I'm full of platitudes. In the deepest places of my heart, I'm speechless. I'm overwhelmed. I'm facedown.

    And in that place, I have no idea how to properly and accurately express myself. So I find myself using the same words, the same phrases, the same expressions...again and again.

    I suppose my hope is that my life expresses my gratitude better than my words.

    That's my aim, at the very least. :)

    And, platitude or not, I'm so thankful for you. :)

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  2. Linds~ I don't think that it's the words, per-se, that don't convey gratitude, but rather a lack of thought to what is given thanks. BUT, that's also not to say that seemingly "surface" thankfulness isn't true thankfulness. Hmm...

    Example: I could say, "Today I'm thankful for the house that we live in." It's true. I *am* thankful to have a warm home-- very thankful. But way down inside even more is stirring. If I take time to really dig, I find that I'm also thankful for things that may seem trite on the surface, but for which I'm actually deeply grateful.

    I think that platitude vs. gratitude is 1000% dependent on the status of our hearts, not the intricacy of our words-- or subjects.

    You, sweet girl, use beautiful words. Amazing, in fact. And, "out of the overflow of our hearts, the mouth speaks" (or, if I take some liberty, "the hand writes"). The way you write is the way that you teach too-- and I love it. I'm intrigued and deeply admiring of people (you, Jeremy, Emily Johnson)who can form thoughts so clearly and quickly and articulate them in a way that other people grasp. I've only met a handful of you. What an incredible gift.

    I love you. I'm proud of you. And yes, you *often* convey gratitude. I'm very thankful for you! ;)

    ((hugs))~K

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