Attitude of Gratitude

​How do you start your day? Do you get up and turn the TV on? Do you turn on the radio because you like to hear Doobie Brothers? But have you thought there is a better way to start your morning?

Start with gratitude. Think about God and His goodness. Tell Him He is a good Father, thank Him for being caring, close, and consistent. List the ways He is good to you. Tell Him what you are thankful for: running water, bed and a blanket, a warm house when it is cold and a cold house when it is hot outside. You do not have to worry about the right thing to say. Just say what you feel and what is on your mind.

Gratitude makes us less self-centered. We stop focusing on ourselves so much. It takes us outside of ourselves and focuses our attention on God and draws us closer to Him. The expression of gratitude to God plays a pivotal role in our relationship with Him. Gratitude is like a glue that binds us to God.

Gratitude develops endurance and trust in God. We must look for God’s grace in all circumstances. This must become a constant habit. We can choose to be thankful for the gift of life no matter how difficult our path is because we are assured that God is with us. We know that He continues to bring blessings to our lives, even in our most painful moments.

As we grow in gratitude, we learn to be thankful not only for the good gifts but for everything in our lives, including the trials and sufferings. Paul reinforces the importance of this in his letter to the Philippians. He mentions when we face trials, we need to approach God with a sense of gratitude when we ask Him for help. Being thankful in all situations helps us develop our trust in God and helps us to be humble.

While much of our gratitude is related to positive experience, we must learn to appreciate the good and the bad. Thanking God in demanding situations can also help us appreciate the good times more.

Gratitude makes us think about the many blessings that we have. Living in a consumer society, most of us are very aware of what we do not have — and what we feel we must have. But how often do we reflect gratefully upon what we already have? 

Prayers reflect our gratitude to God. When we pray, we should pour our hearts in thanks for the many blessings we have received. We should be specific in thanking God for His goodness; for our family; for friends; and for His son, Jesus. We can even keep a list of things to be grateful for, so we can thank God for specific things each day.

Make Every Day Count!

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