What A Life

Brian Tracy once said, “Develop an ‘attitude of gratitude. Say ‘thank you’ to everyone you meet for everything they do for you.”

One of the earliest lessons many parents teach their children is to say “please” when we ask for something and “thank you” when we receive something. I would suggest that we learn to say “thank you” always to the source of all blessings, our loving God.

Before Jesus was born, Marcus Cicero realized the importance of being thankful when he said, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others.”

Jesus also taught us the important of being grateful. First, he taught us by example. How often have we heard Jesus pray, “I give you thanks, Father?”

Jesus was an optimist. He looked at the glass half-fulled, not half-empty. When he wanted to feed the crowds, he asked what resources did they have. A young boy had five barley loaves and two fish. He took what was there and gave thanks. He broke the loaves and fish and shared them with everyone and there was enough.

This should be our pattern of life. There is never enough – time, money, resources, etc. However, we take what is there and we give thanks to God for what we have. We share it with others and it is always enough. We need to develop an attitude of gratitude, not just at Thanksgiving time, but every day.

Each day we receive life from the sources of all goodness, our loving God. Our proper response is to give thanks to God for this wonderful gift.

The word “Eucharist” is taken from the Greek eukharistia, which means to give thanks for a gracious favor. So what we do every Sunday, what the church calls the “source and summit” of our religious observance, is to give thanks to God.

To be truly grateful, however, it is necessary to take a step away from religious obligation and the customs of a gracious upbringing, and allow ourselves to be touched by the many wonderful things God has done for us.

Consider carefully: We are all sinners destined to die. However, in Christ our loving God has granted us eternal life and the forgiveness of our sins. Can we be anything but thankful? If we are truly open to life, we must be thankful for what we already have.

William Arthur Ward once said, “Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.”

Or if someone gives us a present beautiful watch but we never use it, it is a slap in the face to the one who gave it to us. So it is with God. If we never use the gifts that God has given us, it is an insult to the giver of all good gifts.

We are valuable not because of who we are, but because of whose we are.

What is it that makes us valuable? Is it our wealth? Our education? Our leadership ability? Do we feel important because we get lots of cell phone calls, so that must mean we are popular?

While it certainly is not wrong to be wealthy, well educated, popular, or in leadership, we must not let those things define our worth and value. God declares that we have value and mean everything to God. “You are not your own; you were bought at a price” (1 Cor. 6:19-20). That price is the life of Jesus.

We are precious in God’s sight. We are his children and his treasured possession. Don’t let wealth, education, popularity, status, or anything else define who you are. Know that you worth everything to God. We have a lot to be thankful for.