What is gratitude? The definition is " the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness."
Giving thanks to God should flow out of our love and appreciation for Him. 1 Samuel 12:24 [Amplified Version] says, “Only fear the LORD [with awe and profound reverence] and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.”
Since gratitude is about the quality in which we present it, our thankfulness to God should not be lazy, but energetic! It should not be by mistake, but intentional. It must be sincere. You can express your gratitude by acknowledging what it is God has given you and thanking Him for that!
Gratitude is appreciating something or someone. You're grateful for something that seems good, right? Well what about when it doesn't? What about those bad things that may happen? Sometimes the reality is that God is trying to protect you by not allowing something to happen. Are we supposed to be thankful for those moments too? Yes. Not for the fact that bad things may happen, but rather that God is still good in spite of it! 1 Chronicles 16:34 says, “Give thanks to the Lord because He is good, because His mercy endures forever.”
Maybe you don't have any drastic events that took place in your life where you can obviously see that God showed up. But just the fact that you're alive---you're breathing right now, is something to be thankful for. Life itself, is a very gift from God!
Not only is it important to show God your gratitude but also the people around you. It's easy to overlook giving thanks to those around you when being caught up in the enjoyment of what you have received from them.
Maybe you can thank someone for telling you something you needed to hear rather than what you wanted to hear. You could also thank a person for being nice and offering you something of theirs. A person could have even given you intangible things, such as: wisdom, time, effort, skills, support, etc.) Maybe you thank your parents/guardians for providing for you. Or maybe you thank your kids for even helping you as a parent. Wherever there is a need for gratitude in your life, meet that need.
A lot of people try to meet that need and show their appreciation by trying to return the favor but
sometimes, it’s not so much that someone wants something in return. Rather, that they just want you to say “thank you.” They may just want you to simply acknowledge their contributions to your life! There's nothing wrong with wanting to be appreciated!
Practice gratitude. Put into practice being sincere and thankful for things you may have overlooked in being considered thankful for! Thank God! Thank others! Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
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