Gratitude and Second Place

The U.S. is known for winning a lot of medals at the Olympic Games.  Often, American athletes win more medals than any other country in the world.  You would think that is a great source of pride and satisfaction for American athletes.  But, for many, it is not.

USA Today cites a survey reporting the dissatisfaction of many American medal winners.  While gold medalists reported high degrees of gratitude for their medal, silver medalists reported far lesser satisfaction and appreciation.  In fact, silver medalists were less appreciative of their medal than those who had won the bronze.  It seems that getting close to the highest achievement creates more dissatisfaction than less.

That is a great illustration of a common human experience.  We are blessed with incredible opportunities, steward them well, and accomplish great things.  Instead of appreciating it and enjoying it with gratitude, we focus on what we don’t have and what we haven’t done.  Our desire for more leaves us ungrateful for the incredible things we have.

The Apostle Paul encourages Christians to avoid this temptation.  In Ephesians, Paul writes, “Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Christian worship undermines dissatisfaction by emphasizing and appreciating all that God has provided.

As you go through the coming week, praise God for all God has given.  Write down three blessings that you are thankful for.  Then, thank the Lord for those three things each day in prayer.  Read passages of scripture praising God for all He has provided.  As you do, you will start to recognize the many things God has graced you with.  You will also realize that, because of Jesus’ work on the cross, you are indeed a gold medalist in the Lord!