Does a lack of gratitude lead to disappointment or does disappointment lead to a lack of gratitude? Yes.
Disappointment can happen when an outcome doesn’t meet our desired expectation. The sick thing about disappointment is how it can take over our mind and totally wipe out (for only a time, hopefully) happy memories and memories of previous successes. I know I’ve gone through this. It’s so much easier for me to remember missed or lost opportunities than memories of success. Bad memories are like leeches on your mind and emotions.
Even though we can’t physically touch our feelings, they are real. The feeling of disappointment can produce real responses, and lead to real problems. This is why it’s important to break the cycle of ingratitude and disappointment as quickly as possible.
So what do you do?
You remember who created you, what you mean to Him, and how He has given you all that you need and more. And bond the answers to those three questions to gratitude.
Who is your Creator? – God.
What do you mean to God? – He made you in His image, with the ability to think freely and reason. You’re the exclamation point at the end of His earthly creation. He loved you first.
What has God given you? – You can answer that question better than I can. But if you’re reading this…you likely have food and clothing. Biblically speaking, everything else is a bonus (1 Timothy 6:8). If you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, you have heavenly gifts that you can’t even discern in this current life.
