Thankfulness

I was reading 2 Timothy 3 again today, and the following passage stood out to me:

"For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power" (my emphasis).

There's a lot to unpack here, all of which really stems from the first item in the list: love of self. What I want to focus on right now, however, is the "ungrateful" part. Since we live in a culture of entitlement, I think it can be easy to fall into a pattern of negative thinking, focusing on what we think is wrong or missing instead of praising God for everything we have for which to be thankful. For example: What if, instead of complaining about the occasional rough day at work, we praised God that we have jobs (especially in this economy!)? Or what if, instead of bemoaning the loss of a job, we thanked God for more time with friends and family, shifting of priorities, new opportunities around the corner, etc.? I pray that, as God breaks down my pride and grows my trust in Him to direct my path, He would also develop within me a more grateful heart, an attitude that reflects the joy that is found in Him, to His ultimate glory.