How often do we notice sunlight glimmering on the leaves as we walk into work, or think to say “thank you” for strong legs, good vision, and arms we can use to hug those we love? How often do we say “thank you” for family and friends?
Gratitude and appreciation are gauges that measure our enjoyment of life; like spotlights that highlight things we sometimes take for granted, such as clean water, good health, relationships and enough food to eat.
Life in a sin-broken world inevitably involves disappointment and suffering. A grateful, appreciative attitude doesn’t guarantee a life free from dif. culties. We may still face broken relationships, job loss or sickness and death. In those times, we have to decide whether to respond with worry and dread or turn up the “gratitude volume”.
Gratitude maximizes appreciation of good times. When we consistently choose gratitude, we establish a gratitude habit.
This greatly increases the likelihood of successfully navigating hard circumstances as we become more aware of resources and people who can help us.
Characteristics of people who cultivate the gratitude habit: Grateful people recognize death, loss and physical limitations, but don’t focus on them. Acknowledging these things as an inevitable part of life helps us be more grateful for the life we enjoy between painful events.
Grateful people take time to appreciate the details of life: enjoying how baking bread and roses smell, and the shine of a newly polished car. Daily expression of gratitude for the goodness of God recognizes an eternally signi. cant gift that's often taken for granted by believers accustomed to hearing about the grace of God. Meditating on these good experiences helps “stick” them into our minds. It can be helpful to brie. y imagine what life would be like without them. For example, having spent much of my childhood without indoor plumbing or air conditioning, I often deliberately express gratitude for cool air when I enter my home.
Grateful people receive good things in life as gifts, not their birthright. Prideful entitlement—the attitude that people owe something to us because we’re “so very special”—is the opposite of appreciation. The antidote to entitlement is the understanding that we did not create ourselves, God did! We have never been self-suf. cient, and it's not our goodness that provides all our needs. The humble person knows that life with its ups-and-downs is a gift for which to be grateful, not a right to be claimed.
Grateful people express their appreciation to others, specifically and often. Saying “thank you” strengthens relationships and brightens the lives of others. Noticing out loud when people help us encourages closeness and positive interac- tion. Criticism and complaining drives people away. Speciffic “thank-yous” are important! For example: “I appreciate that you notice when I’m tired, and make me a snack.”
Grateful people look for things to appreciate, even when life-experience is dif. cult. In dif. cult circumstances, grat- itude becomes a way of thinking about life that helps turn disaster into a stepping stone. For example, we can choose gratitude for the . ancé who courageously ended a troubled relationship, or for the boss who terminated our job, forcing us to accept new, challenging growth opportunities.
An attitude of gratitude does not mean pretending everything is always . ne. Rather, it means applying our God-given courage and determination to the transformation of obstacles into opportunities.
Biblical Guidance ministry through In. nite Grace Minis tries teaches how to live with determination and wisdom in a broken world, by learning of God’s amazing love and tender compassion. Your tax-deductible gift makes YOU a partner, providing life changing training for those in crisis; underwrit- ing ministry cost for those in financial crisis. For your conve- nience, monthly auto-debit is available. Call 580-774-2884 for more information.
