Attitude of Gratitude

 Count your blessings Name them one by one, And it will surprise you What the Lord hath done- Johnson Oatman Jr.Every last Thursday of November, people in America celebrate Thanksgiving Day. It is observed in memory of early forefathers who celebrated a day of thanksgiving after surviving their first winter without adequate provisions and shelter. The pilgrims thank God even amidst their extreme hardships. They fell prey to disease or famine and before the winter was over, more than half the population had died. Yet, they were grateful lot. What can we learn from those Pilgrims that will help us remain thankful in a modern-day world when discouragement, calamity and heartache invade our lives?

Count Your Blessing:A friend of mine changed the words of that popular hymn a little. He sang, “Count your blessing, WEIGH them TON by TON.” God has blessed us so much that we cannot simply name them one by one, but need to measure them in tons!Psalms 103:4 reminds us that “forget not all his benefits.” In the busyness of modern life and demands of careers and family, it is easy to forget many benefits we enjoy in life. People who are closest and dearest to us are often taken for granted.  Life on the fast lane keeps us from taking notice of beautiful sceneries along the way or. Hurry will not permit us to reflect on important things in life.

Gratitude: What is it Anyway. A simple definition for Gratitude is ‘to recognize and express appreciation to God and others for everything.’ It involves two aspects – recognition and expression; two set of individuals – God and people. And it is not limited to good things in life, but everything. To express gratitude is good for the soul.We all live by our attitudes. It shapes our outlook and determines our behavior. Gratitude is an attitude. It does not come naturally to any of us and it need to be cultivated carefully. It is emanates from our belief in God, our worldview and heart decisions.If we do not nurture a grateful heart, it will turn callous. We must first recognize our indebtedness to others. Without recognizing, we will never come to a point to express our appreciation. We must admit that we deserve nothing at all in this life and everything is a gift from God and others.It is easy to let ingratitude creep into our lives. We may tend to think that I owe to myself for my success or worked hard at school or business etc. Our self reliance and narcissistic culture keeps us from acknowledging others or God. Billy Graham once wrote, “Nothing turns us into bitter, selfish, dissatisfied people more quickly than an ungrateful heart. Nothing will do more to restore contentment and the joy of our salvation than a true spirit of thankfulness.  People without a thankful heart are often found complaining, grudging and fault-finding. They always see glass half empty and argue why they deserve more in life. They never know contentment and always possess an insatiable appetite for more.Let me place before you a framework that would help you look at life and develop an attitude of gratitude.

Common Blessings … Mostly overlooked. We must have a grateful heart for most common things in our lives. Things that we tend to overlook always. Things that we take it for granted. Like air we breathe, sunlight, seasons, health, family, children, food, skills, education etc. Just because they are always around does not mean that we need not have to acknowledge. Sometimes we tend to take notice only when we loose some of these common blessings. Like sight or any of our other senses or a family member or friend due an ailment or accident.

Special Blessings … Easily forgotten. Pause and reflect on your last week, month or year. See if there is a special blessing that you have cherished. It maybe a special person or special things or happenings. These are not as common as above, but rare occasions that have greatly enriched your life. Often these are supernatural, unexpected or unexplainable. It came out of the blue like a new job, a promotion, marriage, baby, surviving an accident or disease etc. If we do not take time to acknowledge special blessings in our lives, it will soon be forgotten.

Difficult Blessings … Hardly Understood. Can we have a thankful spirit even for difficult things in life? It sounds like an oxymoron. Loss of job, sickness, loss, pain, death etc. are never considered as blessings. We cannot fully comprehend them or at that moment see how God could use it for our good. But what happens as a result in our lives is change in priority, perspective and purpose. God is capable of changing even seemingly difficult circumstances for our good. Sometimes these difficulties are the only way God would have had complete attention. So can we thank God for difficulties in life? Even if we cannot see through them or fully understand them, it is God’s will to thank him for all our circumstances. (1 Thess 5:18)

Greatest Blessings … Sadly Ignored. Above all material and relational blessings we enjoy in life, spiritual blessings bring us most happiness. The greatest gift God has endowed on humanity is the gift of his Son - Jesus Christ. God offers forgiveness of our sins and hope of eternal life through Jesus. He offers life in all its fullness. Many choose to ignore God’s plan and provisions for us in Jesus, while others willfully deny it. How sad indeed! Make thankfulness your way of life. Take time to express your appreciation to people dearest to you. And more importantly thank God for many blessing you enjoy in life. Take time to recognize common, special, difficult and greatest blessings in your life. Make every day a thanksgiving day.

Applications: Make a list of people that you want to thank and what you want to thank them for.Write a brief thank you note or get a thank you card or send a thank you email.Thank God for physical, material, relational and spiritual blessings· Write a thank you note to God.