Thanksgiving is here again. It is a season for gratitude. I often wonder if I love November because of the gratitude factor, because being grateful is emphasized in this month. There are talks about gratitude on social media, at church, among family and friends, so I look for things that are blessings instead of focusing on the negatives. Because of that, I am happier. Well, the turkey being on sale also helped 😄. Oh, so many things I miss about being in America during the holidays.
Even though in the very beginning of my blogs couple of years ago, I talked about practicing gratitude https://www.mysuccessgodsway.com/1453785_gratitude-practice. We give thanks for the good, the bad and the things not yet happened.
Since Thanksgiving comes around every year, I decided to write about this subject every year because it's probably the most important, most life changing practice ever. Our brains are like super computers, it will answer any questions you ask it. If you ask, "why are you so dumb?" It will come up with answers to that. If you ask, "What else can go wrong again?" It will also give you answers to that question. So, ask the right questions! Being grateful is one way of doing that. Often my sponsees will tell me they don't know what God's will for them is. I will often tell them that while they are waiting for God's specific will, they can start with doing God's general will, and one of those is giving thanks in all circumstances. God tells us that because it's good for us. There are times when things are really bad and you are in a bad mood, and all you want to do is complain. I think it's healthy to vent to a dear friend sometimes, that is being real and vulnerable, but it shouldn't become a habit, because all that negativity will damage you. In the worst of all circumstances, you can find something to be thankful for. Just look at Paul and Silas in the Bible, they followed God's will, and ended in jail. The jail back then was no 5 star hotel, and yet against all odds, they praise God loudly because their names were written in the book of life, they had eternal salvation which cannot be taken away from them. Jonah in the belly of a big fish, it cannot be pleasant, imagine the smell and the squishy stuff all around you, but yet there he gave thanks and praises to God. Daniel, living in a country not his own, people waiting to find fault with him, a new decree just went out to not worship any other god than the king, yet still he couldn't help but gave thanks towards Jerusalem three times a day. Amazing people.... I doubt our worst circumstances are like theirs, but yet we are full of bitterness and complaints. May the Lord forgive us.
As you know, my parents both died of cancer. At the end of their lives, when cancer took over their body, and they could barely breathe or they bodies were starting to shut down, they often still took time to say "thank you" to us who took care of them. It was difficult times and they were in a lot of pain, but still they let others know that they never took for granted what we did to support them. It often made me aspire to become that kind of a grateful person. I wanted "thank you" to be my last words.
If I ask you if you are a grateful person, most of you probably answer "yes, I am" But do you tell someone "thank you"? I remembered reading a book on happiness and this was one of the things it says
Everyday look for someone to love and someone to thank.
In the story of the 10 lepers that Jesus healed, only ONE Samaritan came back to thank Jesus. Jesus asked "where are the other nine?" Only 10 percent or less of all of us actually express gratitude. 10%!! Actually that is probably correct in my experience. As I have shared, I sponsor a lot of people, I poured in hours meeting and talking on the phone or texting them, all for free. It was a ministry and I expected nothing. But over the years, I noticed maybe one out of 10 will express gratitude. I thought that was a very sad statistic..... I guess I expected much higher. Well, if you are grateful, why not tell that person? They don't read minds, they are probably having a discouraging time, and saying thank you will change you as well. So tell them that you appreciate them and why.
I don't know too many people here. But each time I get on the bus and get off the bus, I yell out "thank you" to the driver. Sometimes when I see a cleaning lady at MRT station, I will tell her "thank you". I recently formed an accountability group consisted of 4 of us sisters. When it is someone's birthday, I tell that person all the ways I appreciate her. I play piano for the Wed night prayer service, there are these young people that serve at the sound booth, and I always tell them "thank you" at the end of the evening. In a church that is mostly old people, these young people played such an important role. You get it, look for every opportunity to say "thank you".
Someone was complaining about the challenges at work and how hard it is to deal with all the problems. A wise older coworker said, "you ought to be thankful for these challenges because they are the reason for at least 50% of your salary. If there are no challenges, they can easily pay a minimum wage worker to do your job." While you are sitting in a room full of coworkers who complain, be the one that give thanks. say, "things are not perfect, but at least I have a job and I'm learning each day." That is being salt of the earth because you are changing the flavor of the people around you. When Paul and Silas praised God, all the doors in the entire prison opened. Gratitude affect those around you. It affects them a lot. So look for creative ways to tell those around you how much you appreciate them this Thanksgiving season. And if you really want to be happy, follow this advice: everyday look for someone to love and someone to thank.
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