Expressing gratitude.
Out of the abundance of the heart,
the mouth speaks.
It is almost impossible to teach
someone how to express gratitude because it really is an attitude issue. When
your heart is full of the right things, they come out effortlessly. The
challenge therefore is to watch out for the things which fill our hearts and
minds.
When we embrace thoughts of
abundance and gratitude. When we learn to live from the optimistic perspective.
When we can see even the little water in the glass and appreciate it,
expressing gratitude will come naturally to us.
Gratitude can be expressed
verbally either through prayer or speaking publicly in acknowledgement of
someone’s contribution to your life. When was the last time you publicly
appreciated someone for their contribution to your life?
It can also be expressed in
writing. This is why thank you notes exist. In today’s world of Social Media a
mention of someone appreciating their contribution to your life goes a long
way. Everybody loves to be celebrated publicly. Don’t deny them that
opportunity in the limelight when it is something you can give for free.
For some people a gift works as a
form of expressing gratitude. Small tokens and large tokens are appreciated in
equal measure. They say it is the thought that counts. The size of the gift is
not the biggest thing in this regard. If you can find out what the person
appreciates and gift it to him, you will have done well.
Sometimes gratitude happens by
paying it forward. People help you without expecting anything in return except
that you are ready to help another person who is in a similar situation in the
future. If you have received something from someone, there are times when it
makes sense to ensure that you become a similar blessing to those who are in
need.
Remember your list of things to be
grateful for from the previous post? Revisit it and decide how you are going to
express gratitude for each of them.
I am also sure you have many other
ways you express gratitude in your own circumstances. Would you like to share
some of them with us? You can do so in the comments below so we can get to
learn from each other.
Finally remember to get yourself a
copy of Blessed to be a Blessing where we share different ways of expressing
gratitude for all God has blessed us with.
What to be grateful for.
There is no shortage of things to
be grateful in life. You do not need to look far and wide to find things to
appreciate about your life.
In my book Blessed to be a
Blessing, there is a laundry list of the common things and some uncommon things
that we need to be cognizant of and be grateful for as we live our lives. I am
sure it would be a great resource for anyone who wants to grasp majority of the
blessings we should be thankful for.
Like we have seen before, a lot of
the things that matter in life are free in the sense that you cannot put a
price on them. Things like the love of your family members and the care they
have for you.
Basically anything you see in and
around your life whether you see it as good or bad is something you should be
thankful for. The Scriptures in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 tell us to be thankful in
all things. In Romans 8:28 it says that all thing s work together for good to
those who love the Lord and are called according to His Purpose. This means you shouldn’t be in the business
of choosing what to be grateful for. If you look at everything as part of one
big, overarching agenda for your life, you will be grateful all through.
Feel free to add to this discussion in the comments section below.
Image Courtesy of Bible.Org
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