Reasons to be Thankful

Gratitude is being thankful with a willingness to show appreciation for what you have received. I want to list five reasons to be grateful.

First, gratitude opens our eyes to what we have received. It says, look around—these things came to you from God and others. Gratitude gives us a perspective that helps us live in the now and not in the next anticipated stage of life. Some people so long for the future to come they don’t live in the present. Gratitude says, “This is my life, and these are the people in my life, and I am going to enjoy them.”

Second, gratitude helps me focus on the good and not the bad, on what I have and not on what I don’t have. It is not hard to see the bad in our world and even the bad in people, but we will be discouraged if that is all we see. When we focus on the good—even the good that can come out of people’s lives we feel better. That is pretty much how God looks at us. He sees what we can become with his help. He doesn’t dismiss us because we don’t measure up. He extends his grace to us even though we don’t deserve it.

Third, gratitude focuses on my life and helps me differentiate between essential and unimportant. The urgent often disguises itself as the important. The pressing will keep knocking on our door, call us and demand our attention while the essential quietly waits. Gratitude slows us down and helps us say no to the unimportant even though it calls itself urgent and say yes to the important things in life.

Fourth, gratitude helps me appreciate my family and assign them the significance they deserve. The sooner we learn to see the priority of our family, the happier we will be. It takes years for some people to realize that their family matters more than money, things, and even success.

Fifth, gratitude helps me look to God as the giver of all I have. It helps me appreciate the faithfulness and mercy he has poured out over my life. This is the best of all. When we see the beauty in the setting sun or the brightness of the stars, we know it’s the creator’s work. We look around and see how good he has been to us, and we are grateful. We treasure his love for us, and we are overwhelmed with his grace.