Gratitude is intertwined with the heart. We are grateful for those things and people that we treasure in our lives. We are grateful for God's blessings, for our families. We are grateful for those unconditional friends that life put in our way. Gratitude makes us feel good, it makes us feel happy and fulfilled when we live with an attitude of gratitude.
Gratitude has other, even more important benefits. According to studies, living with an attitude of gratitude increases happiness and improves health. So why don't we live in constant gratitude? Because we only appreciate the good. When something bad happens to us, we lose the attitude of gratitude because our mind is programmed to only give thanks for the good that happens to us. Very few people have learned to be grateful for the bad things that happen to them.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 says: Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. Give thanks in ALL CIRCUMSTANCES, not just in good times. Easier said than done but if we train our mind to see the good in each situation, we learn to appreciate everything that happens to us, even if it causes us pain.
It is my opinion that living a life in total gratitude is something that is not acquired from one day to another. We have to put gratitude into practice. From childhood, we show difficulty in accepting things that do not turn out as we want. Tell a child that you cannot give him what he asks for and what happens? The child gets angry, cries, and throws a tantrum. On the other hand, if you give him what he wants, you will see the attitude of gratitude in the form of kisses and hugs.
If we meditate on our own experiences, we will realize that we have taken that attitude of ingratitude with God when things do not go as planned. We forget all the good that he has given us before to focus only on the NO of the moment, acting like spoiled children.
In Job 2:10, Job shares a remarkable phrase regarding gratitude. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad? If you have studied the story of Job, you will see that God allowed Satan to shake Job's life, as long as he did not touch his life. Job lost EVERYTHING, his family, his health, his wealth. The only thing that Job did not lose was his FAITH in God. God knew Job's heart, so he allowed Satan to go to such lengths against his servant. God knew that the relationship that Job had with Him, would not allow him to deny his Faith. In Job 1:21 he says: I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had,
and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord!”. Job teaches us that even in adversity, God is still God. And that accepting the sovereignty of God is part of growing up.
A verse that has become rhema in my life this year is found in Philippians 4: 6-7: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus”. This verse gives us the key to receiving the peace of God. Prayer and gratitude give us access to that peace that surpasses all human understanding, that peace that only comes from God. A grateful person does not see the glass as half empty, but half full. Because although the provision is not complete, there is provision.
From now on, take at least 5 minutes out of your morning routine and give thanks to God. Put aside all worry, all doubt, all anger, and think of all the good things you can be thankful for. The fact that you get up every morning is already a reason for gratitude.
As I said in the beginning, gratitude and the heart are linked. Give thanks for all the good and bad, treasure the good, give thanks for the experience, and embraced the lesson received. Don't let an attitude of ingratitude make you forget the sovereignty of God. If God has allowed it, it will have some purpose. After the trial, Job was twice blessed. Your difficult moment today is not your final destination. Keep trusting and go before him with a heart overflowing with GRATITUDE!
