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The power of gratitude makes you friendlier, more buoyant, enhances relationships, reduces negativity, and improves problem-solving. Does your life overflow with gratitude? Gratitude is simply the act of giving thanks and showing appreciation.
It’s amazing but I have found that people are actually more successful at reaching their goals when they consciously practice gratitude.
“Gratitude turns what we have into enough.” – AnonymousClick To TweetGiving thanks for our family, our jobs, our businesses, and our successes. It is so important that we give thanks because gratitude holds so much power that it truly cannot be ignored.
Biblical Perspective About Gratitude
Some of our greatest blessings are invisible. Sure, houses and cars are useful, but we should devote time each day to spotting inward and outward blessings.
Gratitude definitely is a great virtue to have. It helps to motivate those around us to do more and it also gives God great joy that He continues to bless us.
You can always find something to be thankful for. Welcome the small gifts that life gives you each day. Acknowledge the beauty that is around you in nature and in people.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 – “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
Psalm 118:24 – “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.”
Colossians 3:15 – “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”
The Power of Gratitude
Here is an inspiring story from the bible that shows us the spiritual power and importance of gratitude.
In the book of Luke 17: 11 – 19, Jesus on his way to Jerusalem passes through Samaria and Galilee and there he met 10 lepers. These men cried out to him for help and healing and he simply muttered to them; “Go show yourselves to the priest”.
So, they left. Then it came to pass that on their way to the priest, they were healed. As soon as one of them saw that he was healed, he turned back and ran to Jesus praising God in a loud voice.
He then fell at the feet of Jesus thanking him and showing appreciation. Then Jesus answered him saying “were they not ten that were healed? Where are the nine?”
Only one of the ten lepers had come back to show gratitude to Jesus for his healing, the rest were nowhere to be found. Jesus then said to him, “Rise and go, your faith has made you whole.”
A Lifestyle of Gratitude
This story shows us how important it is to show gratitude. Jesus had expected the nine to come back and show appreciation. But they didn’t, thereby missing the second blessing he had for them.
The second blessing was more than both the physical and spiritual healing. It was a blessing that would make them whole.
So many of us are like the nine – unappreciative of everything that God has done for us. This is extremely detrimental to us because so many of us have missed similar blessings. A blessing that God has planned for us but can’t bestow just because we do not show gratitude. So, if you understand that gratitude transforms your life then practice the following:
Count your blessings. Being thankful makes you happier and healthier.
Empathize with others. Your perspective changes when you reach out to someone whose needs are greater than your own.
Tell others how much they mean to you. Visit them or send text messages and greeting cards. Let them know what a difference their presence and thoughtfulness make in your life.
Donate to worthy causes and volunteer in the community. Share your hospitality and lend a hand when you see someone struggling.
Gratitude is the path to God’s heart. It is a sign of our humility for all we have and it opens the door to more blessings through His grace.
Benefits of Gratitude
My humble beginnings prompt me to practice gratitude. I can think of a multitude of experiences in my life, which helped to shape my attitude of gratitude. But rising up from humble beginnings reminds me that achievements are blessings instead of entitlements.
So, I endeavor to always start my day with gratitude. I wake up feeling thankful and grateful, which makes me happier and healthier. I encourage you to begin each day with a feeling of love and thankfulness in your heart. It helps to avoid the negative thoughts that can easily bring your day down to a harmful level.
There are a lot of physical advantages that accompany a grateful spirit. Being grateful helps you to see the good in every aspect of your life, thereby making you content with what you have.
This helps to reduce depression which comes from not being happy with what you have. Additionally, being grateful to others for what they have done for us pleases and encourages them to even do more for us.
It can also attract promotions at our workplaces and businesses. It has the power to help us build deeper and more meaningful friendships. An attitude of gratitude helps to reduce negative emotions like hate, anger, and jealousy and promotes positive emotions like love, joy, and empathy. A grateful person is a happy person.
7 Ways to Practice Gratitude
When you are dealing with a difficult situation, it can be challenging to see the positive. This is where being grateful can help. It doesn’t mean that you are grateful for the difficulties, but instead, you should be showing gratitude for the positive things that are going on in your life, even if they are small.
Gratitude can help you see your current situation in a way that can lessen the panic, and open your thinking to new solutions to your problems.
Here are seven ways you can practice gratitude and start living a happier life.
Practice #1
Take a moment to notice your day-to-day world from the point of gratitude. When you start looking at things from the point of gratitude you will be amazed at all the goodness in your life that you have probably been taking for granted.
Practice #2
Keep a gratitude journal. Keeping a gratitude journal requires nothing more than taking a few moments at the end of the day and writing down the things that you are grateful for in your life. You don’t even need to buy a fancy notebook to start seeing the benefits.
Practice #3
If you identify something or someone in your life with a negative trait, switch that trait in your mind to a more positive one. For example, if you associate your work conference room as the cold room, start thinking of it as the conference room with the great view instead.
Practice #4
To practice and benefit from gratitude, you also have to practice humility. Humility is defined as being modest and respectful. Take some time to explore where you can fit humility into your life.
Practice #5
Every day, give at least one compliment. This can either be directly or by sharing your appreciation of something in your life. This can be as simple as saying, “I love how quiet it is in the morning.”
Practice #6
When you find yourself in a difficult situation, ask yourself what you can learn? Think about when you look back on the situation, without emotion, what you will be grateful for.
Practice #7
Make a vow not to criticize, complain, or gossip for a week. If you slip, rally your willpower and keep moving forward. Take the time to notice how much energy you were spending every day on negative thoughts.
The 5-Day Gratitude Challenge
What if you’re just not a naturally grateful person? Luckily for you, you can “learn” gratitude by practicing it. The 5-day gratitude challenge helps you foster a new attitude of gratitude by pushing you to look for the good around you and express thankfulness for it. Each of the five days, you focus on finding things (or people) you’re grateful to have in your life, and then you express your gratitude for them.
Cultivating gratitude pays off in so many ways. We also include a handy journal to help you make the commitment to find time every day to be grateful for some small thing. In the end, I promise that you’ll be surprised to find out just how good your life really is.
Conclusion
Our blessings are innumerable as we receive countless blessings each day. When you stop to consider the highpoints in your life, you should be in awe of them. However, harnessing the power of gratitude doesn’t mean that your life is without problems. It is merely a means of impacting your emotional state and energy levels for increased productivity and satisfaction.
But everything is a blessing if you look hard enough as they surround us daily. Every moment of every day, we can see endless blessings around us. We’re encouraged to consider everything associated with life to be something special. Even better is the fact that you don’t need any specialized equipment to practice gratitude. All you need to do is use your head and open both your eyes and heart.
Self-Reflection Questions:
- What would you say if you were writing a thank you letter to your parents?
- How can you be grateful for the difficulties in your life?
- What are you grateful for today?
Related: The Power of Gratitude and How It Raises Your Happiness Level
