Feel impossible to give thanks

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Hi, I thought I loved God very much until…I realize I can’t give thanks to Him. There have been so many serious mistakes made in my life that have caused serious consequences. It seems that I only have problems and not really any blessings. It seems the only blessings I have come from spiritual meditation; in other words they are spiritual blessings but not material. I look at my life and am abhorred at what sin has done to me. I see no clear sign of hope for a different life. I understand all of church teaching about God’s mercy and love. I’ve come along way from being depressed and in despair. But still, what do I do when I can’t honestly give thanks to God? What does this mean?

I know that I am nothing. If not for the grace of God the only place I deserve to be is in hell. I know that I can’t expect God to do things for me. But still I feel horrible at how life has turned out for me. I try to look forward to eternal life but simply don’t know what to do with this one.
 
Give thanks that you exist and that you have an eternal soul.

Look at the cross and give thanks that, even though you were unfaithful to Him, He has never been unfaithful to you or ever stopped loving you.

Give thanks that you have the grace to recognize your sinfulness.

Give thanks for His unfathomable Mercy.

Know that spiritual blessings are infinitly more valuable than material blessings because they are lasting.
 
poetryforjesus said:
Hi, I thought I loved God very much until…I realize I can’t give thanks to Him. There have been so many serious mistakes made in my life that have caused serious consequences. It seems that I only have problems and not really any blessings. It seems the only blessings I have come from spiritual meditation; in other words they are spiritual blessings but not material. I look at my life and am abhorred at what sin has done to me. I see no clear sign of hope for a different life. I understand all of church teaching about God’s mercy and love. I’ve come along way from being depressed and in despair. But still, what do I do when I can’t honestly give thanks to God? What does this mean?

I know that I am nothing. If not for the grace of God the only place I deserve to be is in hell. I know that I can’t expect God to do things for me. But still I feel horrible at how life has turned out for me. I try to look forward to eternal life but simply don’t know what to do with this one.
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Have you tried reading the Book of Job? When God withdraws graces is the time to win merit. What does it mean to praise God only in good times? Life is a struggle, I know it well!
 
Poetry,

I think you’ve taken the first step by acknowledging that you feel no gratitude. However I don’t agree that you don’t. You admit that you would be nothing without the Eternal Love of the Father, and you admit that you Love God, and abhor sin. It sounds to me like you’re grateful for your life, just confused as to how to live it. I, myself have had many hardships and frustrations in life. I think everybody does. We all have a few blessings on our side, though. The gift of faith and the Love of the Father being the first ones. Some of the others are our health, shelter, food, freedom…etc. There are so many people in the world with so many more hardships and issues than us who still find gratitude every day for the gift of a beautiful sunset, rain on their faces, friends who stand by them, God’s graces. Please pray for discernment and that God show you the way. He knows what’s in your heart and will guide you.

-Hope
 
The meditation you speak of is God’s way of preparing you for many crosses and His way of forming you into a more perfect mirror of His Image. You cannot live as you want but as He wants, for He who created you has made you for Heaven.
 
Give thanks to God for your spiritual blessings! Those are the only ones that really count. We are just passing through this life and only the spiritual will last for ever. Be patient, you never know when God will put some awesome opportunity in your path!
 
:doh2:Maybe this is oversimpliflying the issue: but couldn’t you just say “thanks”? Eventually we come to understand who God is and what He does for us. Saying “thanks” just puts us in a place to see Him at work.
 
Hi, thank you all very much for your replies. I’m so happy that God has so many friends out there such as you, who understand Him and love Him. What haunts me is that my predicament is caused by my own fault; so sometimes it’s hard to trust God can or is willing to restore and bless me. It’s hard sometimes for me to thank God for the evils of life. But as the last poster wisely said, I simply must do it–thank Him anyway even though I don’t understand. That’s what I have tried to do; and the result is a strange quiet peace. I think Bishop Fulton Sheen used to say that God doesn’t need our thanks but we need to give it to Him. It’s true that God doesn’t demand thanks from us because He has an ego problem. I need to thank Him in order to gain peace.
 
poetryforjesus said:
Hi, I thought I loved God very much until…I realize I can’t give thanks to Him. There have been so many serious mistakes made in my life that have caused serious consequences. It seems that I only have problems and not really any blessings. It seems the only blessings I have come from spiritual meditation; in other words they are spiritual blessings but not material. I look at my life and am abhorred at what sin has done to me. I see no clear sign of hope for a different life. I understand all of church teaching about God’s mercy and love. I’ve come along way from being depressed and in despair. But still, what do I do when I can’t honestly give thanks to God? What does this mean?

I know that I am nothing. If not for the grace of God the only place I deserve to be is in hell. I know that I can’t expect God to do things for me. But still I feel horrible at how life has turned out for me. I try to look forward to eternal life but simply don’t know what to do with this one.
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Hi poetryforjesus,

You post has great beauty in it’s honesty and simplicity. To see ourselves as we truly are, as horrible sinners, is a trait of many saints, a grace from God Himself. The sin has to come from ourselves; where else could it arise? And then: how to give thanks for a gift that allows us to see ourselves as complete schmucks, who have messed up our lives so badly that there seems to be no hope for happiness?

That is a true mystery, but one whose only solution is in Christ himself and Christ alone. The more I accept this reality, the more joyful I can be, albeit only from time to time. In spite of all of the bad choices and behaviors in my rotten past life, the rottenness has led me in some strange way to Christ. And I strangely love Him all the more because of it. I don’t care if my life lasts only one more day or 50 years, I have Him every second, and that’s all I really, truly need. Because nothing else satisfies the soul by itself, not a great family-of-origin, friends, spouse and children, or material goods. Think of it - it is Christ who inspired young martyrs to sing hymns on the way to their deaths! That’s the kind of happiness we should want, and should continue to strive for.

Have you visited Jesus at Eucharistic Adoration? Just sit there, that’s all you have to do.

May the blessings of the Holy Spirit be upon you, Tim
 
poetryforjesus said:
Hi, I thought I loved God very much until…I realize I can’t give thanks to Him. There have been so many serious mistakes made in my life that have caused serious consequences. It seems that I only have problems and not really any blessings. It seems the only blessings I have come from spiritual meditation; in other words they are spiritual blessings but not material. I look at my life and am abhorred at what sin has done to me. I see no clear sign of hope for a different life. I understand all of church teaching about God’s mercy and love. I’ve come along way from being depressed and in despair. But still, what do I do when I can’t honestly give thanks to God? What does this mean?

I know that I am nothing. If not for the grace of God the only place I deserve to be is in hell. I know that I can’t expect God to do things for me. But still I feel horrible at how life has turned out for me. I try to look forward to eternal life but simply don’t know what to do with this one.
Click to expand...
Hi poetryforjesus,

You post has great beauty in it’s honesty and simplicity. To see ourselves as we truly are, as horrible sinners, is a trait of many saints, a grace from God Himself. The sin has to come from ourselves; where else could it arise? And then: how to give thanks for a gift that allows us to see ourselves as complete schmucks, who have messed up our lives so badly that there seems to be no hope for happiness?

That is a true mystery, but one whose only solution is in Christ himself and Christ alone. The more I accept this reality, the more joyful I can be, albeit only from time to time. In spite of all of the bad choices and behaviors in my rotten past life, the rottenness has led me in some strange way to Christ. And I strangely love Him all the more because of it. I don’t care if my life lasts only one more day or 50 years, I have Him every second, and that’s all I really, truly need. Because nothing else satisfies the soul by itself, not a great family-of-origin, friends, spouse and children, or material goods. Think of it - it is Christ who inspired young martyrs to sing hymns on the way to their deaths! That’s the kind of happiness we should want, and should continue to strive for.

Have you visited Jesus at Eucharistic Adoration? Just sit there, that’s all you have to do.

May the blessings of the Holy Spirit be upon you, Tim
 
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