THANKFULNESS is the recognition of God as the one who created all that is good and is the expression of appreciation for all He has done. Thankfulness should be a natural response for us. Unfortunately, we always take God’s many gifts for granted and forget to give him thanks.
What are these many gifts that God has given us? We can start counting them from the moment we wake up in the morning: new life, new strength, being able to breathe, see, smell, hear, and rise up in good condition. And although there are those who find themselves ridden in hospital beds and are not as physically able as others, their share of blessings is still undeniable, such as loved ones who care, pray, and show their concern.
The amount of blessings that each one receives varies: some are big and overflowing, while others appear meager and insignificant. However, there is really no single standard upon which we should base how much we are being blessed. God knows exactly what each person needs at a particular time and circumstance. We must stop comparing whatever we receive with those which others do, as each one has a different need in each season. All too often, we see what we don’t have and forget those we abound in. As a result, many people live miserably in spite of the blessings they so overwhelmingly receive.
We learn from the story of ten lepers that Jesus notices when we are thankful and when we are not. When the lepers asked Jesus to heal their disease, he was glad to do so, but as they discovered their miraculous healing only one of the ten went back to thank him. Jesus commended that person but wondered aloud where the other nine were.
This week, let us put this value into action by approaching and thanking every person you know you should be thankful about: your parents for being patient in rearing you up; your teachers for teaching and training you to become responsible citizens; your friends for standing by you especially during your dark moments; your husband or wife for staying around through the years; your children for being obedient and responsible; and above all God for being faithful, gracious, and merciful.
Let us empower ourselves by declaring: I am a grateful person. I understand the importance of showing gratitude first to God, and then to people whom God has been using to demonstrate His love for me. From this moment on, I shall stop grumbling and complaining about the things which I think I don’t have and start thanking God for the many blessings which I have been taking for granted. I shall be optimistic at how I see life and consider circumstances, whether good or bad, as God’s means to build me up and create a new person out of me. I shall be happy seeing other people receive their promotion or breakthrough and shall be supportive of those who aim to succeed in life. I shall never allow bitterness to creep into and consume my heart. I shall demonstrate gratefulness in all my dealings with people and be a good example of this virtue to everyone.
Let us pray: Heavenly Father, I am sorry for being ungrateful to You and to people who have shown me kindness and generosity to bring me where I am now. I thank you that many times, the things that happened to me which I consider evil are actually blessings in disguise; they have kept worse things from happening. I may have no idea why challenges or problems set in; but I am sure that a grateful heart will always consider them as opportunities for you to demonstrate your love for me. As such, cleanse my heart and teach me to be thankful. I know this will change my perspective into all other things. Amen.