Katherine Quiroz
Class Reading:
From Nature to Creation
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"Giving thanks is the most fundamental and honest expression of what it means to be a human being, because it is here, in the thanksgiving act, that people appreciate and attempt to live into the knowledge that life is a gift." -pg 131
In this section, Wirzba talks about giving thanks as a fundamental expression of us as creatures. I agree with Wirzba, and I think that a posture of gratitude in our lives is essential to our posture as children of God. Gratitude in and of itself reveals that we do not have the ability to do anything by our own strength or merit. In fact, if we believe that there is a God, a Creator, and a Father, then we should inherently submit our pride and understanding of "possession" to God. Everything that we are given, that we encounter, and that we have, is a gift from God. And gratitude is an outward expression of this inward reality. I don't think that gratitude has to be expressed verbally, but it is a heart posture that the Lord sees.
In class, we talked about the difference between bragging and gratitude. I feel that these are two completely different things. Bragging is rooted in pride, whereas true gratitude is rooted in humility. Bragging isn't actually expressing gratitude- it is expressing an elevated and idolized concept of "having." Gratitude stems from an understanding that anything we "have" is actually a gift of grace-undeserved.
In this section, Wirzba talks about giving thanks as a fundamental expression of us as creatures. I agree with Wirzba, and I think that a posture of gratitude in our lives is essential to our posture as children of God. Gratitude in and of itself reveals that we do not have the ability to do anything by our own strength or merit. In fact, if we believe that there is a God, a Creator, and a Father, then we should inherently submit our pride and understanding of "possession" to God. Everything that we are given, that we encounter, and that we have, is a gift from God. And gratitude is an outward expression of this inward reality. I don't think that gratitude has to be expressed verbally, but it is a heart posture that the Lord sees.
In class, we talked about the difference between bragging and gratitude. I feel that these are two completely different things. Bragging is rooted in pride, whereas true gratitude is rooted in humility. Bragging isn't actually expressing gratitude- it is expressing an elevated and idolized concept of "having." Gratitude stems from an understanding that anything we "have" is actually a gift of grace-undeserved.
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