Today’s message is the final part of our six-part sermon series entitled: “How to Be Grateful.” The great Roman orator, Cicero, called gratitude “the mother of all virtues.” Hence, there is a sense in which if we can learn to be grateful, then we will take a huge step toward being godly as well. In his message, Pastor Wallace borrows insights from Rabbi Haskel Lookstein where he suggests that first of all, there is no Todah without dayeinu. In other words, one does not feel grateful until one feels satisfied. The paradigmatic example of tis is the Biblical matriarch, Leah, the unappreciated and unloved wife. Leah was the lesser loved wife of Jacob and her heart probably never stopped feeling the sadness of being rejected for her younger, more attractive sister, but in today’s verses we will see her go from desire of attention from a man to praising God! As we grow stronger in our faith and in our understanding of God’s love, we can and should follow the same path. Succinctly, we too, can learn how to be grateful by first being satisfied with what God has blessed us with.
