Campus Addresses

Baccalaureate 2002

Dr. Cecelia Keener

"An Attitude of the Heart"

Ephesians 5:19-20 tells Christians to "Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

I Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Colossians 3:17 gives us this charge: "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Psalm 100:1-4 summons us to "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness: come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name."

President Mannoia, members of the board of trustees, faculty and staff, colleagues, parents, family and friends of the graduating seniors, and especially the honorable Class of 2002 ...

Thank you for the privilege of addressing you on this significant and happy occasion in your lives.

Let me tell you a story.

Two senior guys were out on a hike by the observatory north of Greenville, when they spotted a big-red-snorting-bull. Immediately, they started running toward the nearest fence. The enraged bull followed them in hot pursuit, and it was soon obvious that they wouldn't make it to the other side of the fence.

Terrified, Jered shouted to Justin, "Say a prayer for us, Justin. We're not going to make it!" Justin replied, "No way. I'm terrible at praying aloud." "You have to," yelled Jered, "the sucker is right at our heels!"

"OK, OK, but the only prayer I know is the one we used to say before dinner at my house ... "O Lord, for what we are about to receive, make us truly thankful."

My guess is, there is no shortage of gratitude in this room tonight. You have opened grateful hearts in your dorms, in your homes, in GOAL and LAMP classes, at Senior Skip, and at the Faculty Senior Breakfast.

Today is probably one of the best moments of your life, so far. Your heart is full. You've made connections with friends and faculty to last a lifetime. You've been transformed.

Maybe the best is even yet to come. Is it possible to continue to be as grateful, to feel as blessed as you feel today?

While we are reminded by scripture to embody a thankful spirit, a grateful attitude of the heart, we live in and you'll work in an entitlement culture. It's so easy for us to take things for granted. Yet, as you have grown in social and political awareness, I'm sure you have come to recognize how blessed our lives are.

The United Nations reports that over 800 million people in the world are undernourished. Millions of people do not have access to clean water, warm clothing, and adequate shelter. You are part of a tiny percentage of the people in the world ever to graduate from college. According to Oxfam, the international relief agency, 125 million children worldwide do not get any formal education at all, not even 1st grade.

If we prepare our hearts to listen to God's admonition to be thankful in the verses that Katherine read earlier, we can realize significant rewards;
Gratitude leads to contentment.
Gratitude promotes healing of the spirit.
Gratitude brings joy to both the sender and receiver.

First, adopting an attitude of gratitude makes us content with the blessings we have.

That's easier said than done.
I was satisfied with my Chrysler Concorde until I saw the new PT Cruiser.
I'm satisfied with my wardrobe, until I go to the mall.
You may be happy to get a C+ on a difficult exam, until you find out that your friend got an A-.

I find contentment in my blessings though, when I think of the alternatives.
I'm thankful for the taxes I paid last month, because it means that I have a job.
I'm thankful that my skirt is snug in the waist, because it means that I have enough to eat.
I'm thankful for utility bills, because it means I have adequate shelter.
I'm thankful for school loans and reports I have to write, because it means I have the privilege an education.

Sometimes contentment is a matter of separating the consequential from the inconsequential.

Here's a letter from a college freshman:

Dear Mom and Dad,
Sorry I haven't written sooner, but my arm has really been hurting. I broke it, and my left leg, when I fell from the second floor of my dormitory. . . when we had the tornado. We were lucky though. A nice older man from town helped rescue many of us girls. I was in the hospital for a few days. Paul, the man from town, was able to see me every day since he is out of a job. And because it was taking so long to get our dormitory livable again, I moved in with him. He has been so nice. However, I must admit that I am pregnant. But Paul and I plan to get married---just as soon as he can get a divorce. I hope things are fine at home. I'm doing well, and will write more when I get the chance.
Love,
Your daughter, Susie.

P. S. None of the above is true. But I did get a "C" in Sociology and flunked Chemistry. I just wanted you to receive this news in its "Proper Perspective."

To "be thankful in all circumstances" we do need a proper perspective of our circumstances. Only then can we find contentment and be able to "give thanks to the Lord always."

Fifteen years ago I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Honduras. One of my projects was working with a group of the poorest women in the town. I learned important lessons about gratitude and generosity from those five women. We can find something to be thankful for in all circumstances.

Even though their homes were made of sticks and mud with dirt floors and no plumbing, they wanted to share what they had with me; a coke, a dinner of tortillas and beans, the only two eggs their hens had laid that week.

When I left Honduras, I sold my furniture and household items and bought roofing tiles for each of the women I worked with. It seemed their gratitude was no less than if they had each received a new house. They had learned the secret of contentment. They were thankful for what they did have, rather than dwelling on what they did not have.

Another way that gratitude brings contentment is to be thankful for each day, this day, this moment in time.
How many times have you looked forward to the end of a class period?
"I can't wait till Friday."
"Will Spring Break ever come?"
"I'll be so glad when summer gets here."
"I'll be relieved when I graduate and get a job."
Or. . ."I'll just be happy when Dr. Keener finishes this address!"

Many of you have heard me say, "Don't wish your life away." I have to remind myself not to wait to be happy on Friday. Be thankful for Monday mornings, too.

Oprah Winfrey said, "Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough."

Learning contentment doesn't suggest that you don't strive to do your best. Ambition and perseverance to improve your life got you where you are here today. But each company out there has only one CEO and each school district has only one superintendent. Find contentment in doing your best. Be thankful for your strengths and achievements.

Second, gratitude promotes healing of the spirit.

Gratitude may be one of the healthiest emotions.

Gratitude is an emotion that is so prevalent in high moments like this weekend. Fortunately, an attitude of thankfulness can also help us through the difficult times.

Best-selling author Sarah Bon Breathnach asserts that "Gratitude holds us together even as we're falling apart. Ironically, gratitude's most powerful mysteries are often revealed when we are struggling in the midst of personal turmoil." (And you can be sure you will have those in your lifetime) "When we stumble in the darkness, rage in anger, hurl faith across the room, abandon all hope. While we cry ourselves to sleep, gratitude waits patiently to console and reassure us; there is a landscape larger than the one we can see."

For the past three years I've looked with admiration to Jim and Ellen Mannoia as models of faith and gratitude for God's gifts. Their spirit attests to God's healing comfort and strength. As they have met with trials and disappointments and difficulties, they continue to profess that "God doesn't give us more than we can handle." They continue to express their gratitude for God's goodness.

Several years ago, within a period of a couple of years, I went through a divorce, menopause, and the death of my mother. I questioned whether there was much left to live for. One day I bought a stack of 3x5 note cards. Every day I wrote on a card something I was thankful for. I was humbled by the list. My spirit began to heal as I shifted my focus from my grief to my countless blessings. Many of my colleagues are on those note cards. Thank you.

In our weakness, our gratitude to God can heal us. He can make us strong.

Third, gratitude brings joy to both the sender and receiver.

Think about it. Have you ever felt bad after thanking someone for something, or being thanked by someone, or thanking God for your blessings? Of course not. Gratitude brings us joy!

You may have seen the film "Pay It Forward."

The idea a little boy proposes is that if someone did you a favor, and instead of paying it back, you paid it forward to three people. .

And the next day, they each paid it forward to three more . . .
And the day after that those 27 people each paid it forward to another three. . .

And each day, everyone in turn paid it forward to three more people. . .
In only two weeks that comes to 4,782, 969 people!

It occurred to me that could work with expressing gratitude, too. Almost 5 million expressions of gratitude. Imagine what a good mood we'd all be in! What joy that would bring. What a transformation we could make in the world.

Of course, we have to do more than feel grateful to persons. God can read our minds, but our friends can't. Gladys Stern, a 20C British novelist, said that "Silent gratitude isn't much use to anyone." If we express that thankful attitude of the heart verbally and through our actions, watch the results:

Gratitude=giving=gratitude=giving=gratitude

I'm a fan of Scott Peck, author of The Road Less Traveled. In his chapter on Grace, he urges the reader to remember the close calls and near misses that turned out to our advantage. I try hard to remember that.

For example,
The tornado last month did not hit our campus.
The hail didn't even damage my car.
The tests I took at the hospital came back negative.
It was a beautiful sunny Saturday for Agape.
I narrowly missed hitting a little dog with my car.
I am grateful for those moments of grace and try to remember them at times when I'm tempted to say, "It always rains when I want to do something fun, or everything goes wrong for me."

So if I back into a utility pole with my car, I won't be happy about it, but I hope to remember to be thankful because it wasn't a person. It's all about grace. I don't deserve the breaks or the blessings that I have in life, but God bestows them anyway. And that brings me joy!

Gratitude is an "Attitude of the Heart" that brings contentment, healing, and joy.

Perhaps Justin's prayer as he and Jered ran from the angry bull would serve us well in the years ahead. "O Lord, for what we are about to receive, let us be truly thankful."

You can maintain the spirit of thankfulness you feel today.

Here's what you can do. Express your gratitude for one new thing or person each day. Write it on a card, or keep a gratitude journal, a life list.

On behalf of the faculty and administration of Greenville College, my gratitude journal entry for today is "Thank you for each one of the graduating seniors in this wonderful class of 2002." We will always be among your greatest admirers.

"O Lord, for what we are about to receive, let us be truly thankful."

Say thank you to your classmates this weekend.
Say thank you to your profs.
Say thank you to your family members.
Say thank you to God.
And brace yourself for a lifetime of blessings.


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Last updated: July 1, 2002