The Value of Gratitude

Chuckle: After forgetting his wedding anniversary, his angry wife told him, "Tomorrow morning, I expect to find a gift in the driveway that goes from 0 to 200 in 6 seconds AND IT BETTER BE THERE!!!" The next morning, she found a gift-wrapped in the driveway. She opened it and found a brand new bathroom scale. . . Bob has been missing since Friday!

Quote: "It is difficult to be grateful and gripey at the same time. It is hard to be thankful and touchy at the same instant. It is impossible to be prayerful and pessimistic at the same moment." --William Arthur Ward

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV).

In our passage, continuous joy and unceasing prayer are companions with being grateful in any and all circumstances. In her newspaper column, Mary Hunt pointed out numerous ways we benefit from having and expressing gratitude for even the smallest blessings of life. Does being grateful bring benefits to us in our physical, emotional, and spiritual health?

The approach of Thanksgiving Day, and Mary Hunt's column, have caused me to think about all the benefits that accrue to the person who is genuinely grateful to God and to other people on a daily basis. Sadly, as we celebrate an annual day of Thanksgiving, hearts and minds are often drawn away to everything in the world other than gratitude and thanksgiving. For some, the day becomes little more than a special time of self-indulgence. Let's be thankful on Thanksgiving Day, but remember that God wants us to be thankful every day and in all circumstances.

Throughout God's Word, we are instructed to be grateful for what we have and to express that gratitude to our Lord and to others who bless our lives in so many ways. God, in all his wisdom, knows that grateful hearts produce content and happy people. Ingratitude, selfishness, and greed produce the opposite in people -- malcontented, bitter, self-centered, and unfulfilled lives. By considering the good things that Mary Hunt says will happen to us if we are grateful, we may discover that God wants us to be thankful people for our own good. She suggests that:

- Gratitude reminds us of the positive things in life.                                              

- Gratitude calms our minds and lowers our blood pressure.

- Gratitude reduces stress, the source of many physical and emotional problems.

- Gratitude makes us optimistic about the future, and boosts our immune systems.

- Gratitude makes us content with what we have.

- Gratitude is appropriate during difficult times because we grow during hardships

- Gratitude is possible even in time of tragedy and great loss.

- Gratitude is 100 percent free in any amount you desire. Let's "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus"

Love, Jerry & Dotse