An Attitude of Gratitude

(Scripture reference from New Living Translation)

This coming week on Thursday is the holiday annually set aside here in the U.S. called Thanksgiving.  This is a day that we are encouraged to think about all the things in our lives for which we should be thankful.  For most of us those things are almost innumerable.

I have a personal belief that the more grateful we are, and the more we express that gratefulness, the more blessed we will be.  I happened to come across a quote that went along with that thought process and I wanted to share it with you;  but, I also wanted to know who had said it.  When I researched it to find out the author, I found other quotes that are also meaningful to me.  So in light of my personal belief, I am going to share several of those quotes.

“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.”  (Oprah Winfrey); and, “When you are grateful – when you can see what you have – you unlock blessings to flow in your life.”  (Suze Orman)

Unfortunately, there are many people that are so very blessed yet they complain and still want more.  They want more status, more possessions, more achievements and more of other things in which they invest their emotions.   That is a very sad state to live in because it is nothing but pure ungratefulness.  “A proud man is seldom a grateful man, for he never thinks he gets as much as he deserves.”  (Henry Ward Beecher); and, “When a person doesn’t have gratitude, something is missing in his or her humanity.”  (Elie Wiesel)       

Each day I try to be aware enough to verbalize my thankfulness in my daily prayers.  One day a year just is not good enough to express my gratitude when I consider my life and all the blessings I have.

The number one thing I am grateful for is the love of God.  I believe I am most fortunate to have a God that cared enough to create such an awesome world.  I love the wonders and beauty of nature.  He gave me a heart that can love others and also receive their love in return, making me thankful for each and every one of my precious family members and my very special friends.  I am grateful for all the “things” I have that make my life easier and more comfortable.

We need to keep in mind though, that expressing our gratitude to God is not enough.  We need to show and express our gratitude to other people as well – it helps to make us better people.  “Make it a habit to tell people thank you.  To express your appreciation, sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return.  Truly appreciate those around you, and you’ll soon find many others around you.  Truly appreciate life, and you’ll find that you have more of it.”  (Ralph Marston); and, “Of all the characteristics needed for both a happy and morally decent life, none surpasses gratitude.  Grateful people are happier, and grateful people are more morally decent.”  (Dennis Prager)

A few more quotes to wrap things up:  “Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.”  (Melody Beattie), “When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.”  (Gilbert K. Chesterton); and, “Practice gratitude and praise.  It takes some deliberateness to do that, especially if you’re used to discouragement.  But it can be done; the more you give God thanks and praise for what He’s done, the more real it becomes to you.”  (Chris Tiegreen)

Psalm 100

A psalm of thanksgiving.

1 Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
2     Worship the Lord with gladness.
    Come before him, singing with joy.
3 Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
    He made us, and we are his.
    We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
    go into his courts with praise.
    Give thanks to him and praise his name.
5 For the Lord is good.
    His unfailing love continues forever,
    and his faithfulness continues to each generation.

HAVE A HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!  JUST TRY TO REMEMBER AND HAVE AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE EVERY DAY.    

(Written by Karran Martin – November 23, 2019)