Thankfulness

As soon as you are finished reading this sentence, please close your eyes and think of all the things you have to be thankful for in your life today. Thank God for those things because no matter how those things came to be in your life, His hand was in it somewhere.

Being thankful for the things in our lives is so very important. Think about the people you have known through the years - those who are thankful for what they have and those who never seem to be thankful at all. There is a difference between these two groups, isn't there? We need to teach our children to be thankful for everything they have and if there is an adult in our life, we should consider suggesting to them to be more grateful.

I read a book a few years ago about a man who took everything he had for granted and one day he realized he didn't like himself. I don't remember how he came about doing this anymore, but he decided he was going to write a thank you note to someone every day for a year. 365 thank yous. He was amazed how he changed when he became more grateful for the things in his life. In fact, his life started really turning around and all the problems he'd been having, started to go away. His outlook on life became more positive.

I was stewing a bit one day because I had done quite a bit to help someone and during the year I was assisting them, not once did they express any gratitude. I was irritated by that, but I was also baffled. I was

trying to just let it go, because I don't need someone to thank me for things. I do things for others because I love helping others and it's the right thing to do. But it kept irritating me that this person never thanked me and that's when I started wondering who thankfulness benefits.

I don't need to be thanked; but I did wonder if this person was even grateful for the things I'd done - not for me, but for them. Are they thankful for the gifts and graces they are receiving because, like I said, ultimately, it is God who is taking care of us and we are just the instruments He uses to accomplish His work.

I really have tried to challenge myself to be more grateful in my life. I know I have received from our Lord much more than I deserve. By thanking those who help to deliver these beautiful graces and blessings in my life, I encourage them to continue to do these things for those they encounter. Ultimately, when we are grateful, we bless each other more.