GRATITUDE
gratitude |ˈgratəˌt(y)o͞od|
nounthe quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness:
Last year, I was challenged to start counting and writing down 1000 Blessings in my life. I will admit, at first it was easy...."Thank You for the rain"...."Thank You for the sunshine"....."Thank You for the ding of my cell telling me I have a message", but after the second day, it became harder. I started repeating myself and thanking God for the sunshine again. I wondered how in the world am I going to come up with 990 NEW blessings to be grateful for?
But the most interesting thing happened: I quickly discovered that Gratitude means living your life as if everything is a miracle. EVERYTHING. And I also discovered that God absolutely, positively, unquestionably, without a doubt BLESSES us even more when we thank Him.
Have you ever given a gift to someone.....something you "knew" they thoroughly wanted and in which you put your entire heart and soul into.....and yet, never heard a word of thanks out of them? Hellooooo......welcome to God's world! He gives and gives and gives and rarely do we acknowledge the gifts He has so graciously given us. The gift of rain at just the right time; the gift of color in the Fall; the gift of a loving, although bizarre, family; the gift of lungs to breathe this fresh Mt. Vernon air. Yet, where we might never give a gift to that ungrateful person again, He continues giving.....over and over, time and time again.
It requires changing our vision.....putting on a new set of eyes which, in turn, changes our attitude when rain doesn't come for 9 months or we are betrayed by a friend. It teaches us to be thankful and offer gratitude for everything......
G-R-A-T-I-T-U-D-E
A simple word with a BIG blessing!
Last year, I was challenged to start counting and writing down 1000 Blessings in my life. I will admit, at first it was easy...."Thank You for the rain"...."Thank You for the sunshine"....."Thank You for the ding of my cell telling me I have a message", but after the second day, it became harder. I started repeating myself and thanking God for the sunshine again. I wondered how in the world am I going to come up with 990 NEW blessings to be grateful for?
But the most interesting thing happened: I quickly discovered that Gratitude means living your life as if everything is a miracle. EVERYTHING. And I also discovered that God absolutely, positively, unquestionably, without a doubt BLESSES us even more when we thank Him.
Have you ever given a gift to someone.....something you "knew" they thoroughly wanted and in which you put your entire heart and soul into.....and yet, never heard a word of thanks out of them? Hellooooo......welcome to God's world! He gives and gives and gives and rarely do we acknowledge the gifts He has so graciously given us. The gift of rain at just the right time; the gift of color in the Fall; the gift of a loving, although bizarre, family; the gift of lungs to breathe this fresh Mt. Vernon air. Yet, where we might never give a gift to that ungrateful person again, He continues giving.....over and over, time and time again.
It requires changing our vision.....putting on a new set of eyes which, in turn, changes our attitude when rain doesn't come for 9 months or we are betrayed by a friend. It teaches us to be thankful and offer gratitude for everything......
G-R-A-T-I-T-U-D-E
A simple word with a BIG blessing!
| Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow. | |
| — Melody Beattie |
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