Attitude of Gratitude....series

Today we are doing part 2 of this section.

"Thankful people are refreshing, life-giving springs, while unthankful people pull other down with them into the stagnant pools of their selfish, demanding, miserable ways."

 

I have learned a lot about thankfulness from a young woman I met a number of years ago. Since birth, Fran has been the victim of crippling cerebral palsy. She has suffered through many painful surgeries, as well as the divorce of her unsaved parents, the death of her father, and a relatively isolated existence. A couple years after she met Christ, Fran wrote to share with me what God had been teaching her. She detailed many of the "thorns" that she has to contend with on a daily basis. Then she closes with an original piece of ho9mespun verse entitled, simply:  

 

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is something you learn

to do.

It involves a daily walk in trust and

prayer.

When circumstances get so big you can't

understand,

Just stop and look at the cross and you

will see

The amazing love that is shown for you

there.

 

Realize it is a part of God's plan

You don't have to understand.

Just take hold of His hand,

For you see, God is unlimited.

 

Therefore, in every circumstance there is

a purpose.

No matter how dark it looks, just look to

Jesus,

Take hold of His hand and know that He

is working on your behalf.

 

And so, we are called to e thankful people, to recognize and express appreciation for the benefits that we have received from God and others. We are all debtors, and we repay those debts with grateful hearts and words of thanksgivings. It is not enough to feel gratitude in our hearts. That gratitude must be communicated to those to whom we re indebted.



 

 

From time to time, I find it helpful to stop and take stock of my "gratitude accounts." I ask myself, is there any circumstance in my life for which I have never given thanks? Is there some blessing I have received for which I have not expressed gratitude? Is there an individual ) a family member, a friend, and acquaintance, and associate, a teacher, a pastor) who has in some way touched or benefited my life, to whom I have not yet paid my debt by saying, "Thank you"?

 

In fact, as I began to write this piece, God brought to mind the names of a number of people to whom I owe a debt of gratitude--among them, three authors that I have never met, whose writings have greatly impacted my life and walk with God. I have since had the joy of paying that debt, in the form of heartfelt letters of thanks.

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The month of July my son will have his daughter and I will be caring for her while he is at work. It will be a very busy month for me and I will probably won't have as much opportunity to work on blog posts.

In August we will resume this series - with a part three of this section, a couple of poems and we will get some homework. :O)