Thankfulness/gratefulness

"Give thanks in all circumstances; gratefulness is the mother of all virtues" HANKFULNESS is the recognition of God as the one who created all that is good and is the expression of appreciation for all He has done. Thankfulness should be a natural response for us. Unfortunately, we always take God’s many gifts for granted and forget to give him thanks.

TWhat are these many gifts that God has given us? We can start counting them from the moment we wake up in the morning: new life, new strength, being able to breathe, see, smell, hear, and rise up in good condition. And although there are those who find themselves ridden in hospital beds and are not as physically able as others, their share of blessings is still undeniable, such as loved ones who care, pray, and show their concern.

The amount of blessings that each one receives varies: some are big and overflowing, while others appear meager and insignificant. However, there is really no single standard upon which we should base how much we are being blessed. God knows exactly what each person needs at a particular time and circumstance. We must stop comparing whatever we receive with those which others do, as each one has a different need in each season. All too often, we see what we don’t have and forget those we abound in. As a result, many people live miserably in spite of the blessings they so overwhelmingly receive.

We learn from the story of ten lepers that Jesus notices when we are thankful and when we are not. When the lepers asked Jesus to heal their disease, he was glad to do so, but as they discovered their miraculous healing only one of the ten went back to thank him. Jesus commended that person but wondered