The Positive Effects of Being Thankful

When my children were younger and were going over to a friend's home to play the first thing we did was to remind them to say “please and thank-you.”    My wife and I were committed to training them up in that basic etiquette. We also wanted to foster what has been termed an “attitude of gratitude.” 

An article I came across the other day reminded me not only of this etiquette, but the positive effects of being thankful.  The article addressed the need to cultivate a practice of gratitude.

How often each day do you pause, think about and articulate your words of thanks?  What is your practice of being grateful?

Here are some suggestions I want to share with you today:

+ Begin your day with thanks- thank God for the gift of your life, your loved ones, friends, co-workers, church friends, etc.  Thank God for taking care of you and your
family. 

+ Throughout your day look for opportunities to express your thanks, whether
running errands, shopping for groceries,  or the bank teller for handling your bank
transaction effectively.

+ At the end of the day pick out three or four things that happened during the day for which you are thankful.  Bring to mind the people God placed you among
and what an impact they had on your life.

Have you ever noticed that the happiest people around you and in this world are those who are most thankful.  Those who are most kind and filled with joy often have gratefulness to God flowing through their hearts.

In my prayer at this moment I am asking our Lord to bless
you with a huge heart of thankfulness- a heart that will pump the life-giving
blood of thankfulness through your life and our world.

Joy for the Journey,

Pastor Durk K. Peterson, Alleluia! Lutheran Church, St. Michael