It is a new year all over again!! Have you been taking pride, in the achievements you’ve had in the past year? or are you disappointed on how life turned unfair for you and good for others? Here’s Robin sharing with us today on why we should carry an attitude of gratitude in whatever situation we are in.
by Robin Jacob Abraham
We have just gone through that time of the year when joy abounds, and hope renews itself. The season of Christmas and New Year is a time when families meet and greet each other; holidays, get-togethers, shopping, food, cards, decorations, carols, there is much to be cheerful about.
In the midst of all of this, there is, however, the opportunity to also be thankful to God for all the mercies and grace He has bestowed upon us.
In fact, the Bible constantly tells us to be thankful to God for everything!
Through the epistles, St. Paul exhorts us to be thankful to God at least 50 times.
In Colossians 4:2, he writes: “Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving“
In Hebrews 12:28-29 he writes: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”
In Philippines 4: 6 – 7, he writes: “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Not just St. Paul but all through the Bible we see prophets, kings, apostles, men and women expressing thanks to God in various situations and circumstances. David, Job, Hannah, Mary are a few examples.
Our Lord, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, also taught us to be thankful. To feed the 5000 men + women and children, He took the 5 loaves and 2 fish and gave thanks to God first. (John 6)
“Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” are Jesus’ words before Lazarus comes out of the tomb, once dead, now alive (John 11 )
At the last supper, before He was going to be handed over to death, He takes the cup, says thanks, takes the bread, says thanks (Luke 22: 17)
Gratitude makes our life meaningful
We often look at what is written in the Bible as rules. Do this, do this, don’t do this. But in my humble opinion, they are more than just rules, they are facts of life.
‘No smoking’ is also a rule; it can have moral or legal consequences such as a hefty fine. However, ‘Smoking kills’ is a fact.
Similarly, when the Bible tells me to be thankful, I see it opening the doors to living a fuller life, a fact that is today, being established by recent advances in Science & Psychology.
Take the case of a study that was done in the U.S in 2003. Around 201 participants were divided into 3 groups and requested to complete 3 different tasks.
One group was asked to write about things they were grateful for, that had occurred during the week. The second group had to write about daily irritations or things that had displeased them, and the third group was asked to write about events that had affected them (with no emphasis on them being positive or negative).
After ten weeks, those who wrote about gratitude were found to be more optimistic about their lives. Surprisingly, they also exercised more and had fewer visits to physicians than those who focused on sources of aggravation.
Not just this
Being grateful helps us sleep better, exercise better, work better, understand others’ problems better.
The world is just discovering, that an attitude of gratitude is truly life changing!
Christian Gratitude- a basic hallmark of spirituality
As, Christians, we have all the reasons to be grateful. After all, everything is HIS.
This world that we live in, is His.
The air that we breathe is His, the water that we drink is His. The food that we eat is provided by Him.
Our bodies are His temple.
Our good health has been provided by Him.
Our money is His, Our skills are His, our Time is His.
Our relationships: Children, spouses, parents, grandparents are all His.
We realize, even our adverse situations including tough relationships, illnesses, financial losses, job situations & losses are used by Him for our salvation, the ultimate good.
As St. Paul writes to the Thessalonians in Chapter 5: 16 – 18, “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
In “everything”, not just the good parts!
When we are grateful, we express our gratitude by sharing it with others who need it. Our skills, our effort, our time, our money.
We give, not because we are morally obliged but because we have the utmost gratitude towards our Lord who gave up His only Son.
When we give with gratitude, He blesses us all the more with wisdom; faith, hope and love.
When we are grateful, we also don’t abuse what He’s blessed us with.
- We don’t abuse our bodies with alcohol, smoking and drugs and with copious amounts of unhealthy food.
- We consume food, water and all other resources responsibly, because we know that any wastage is an act of ingratitude to the One who provides it.
- We don’t abuse our senses with sights and sounds that take us away from Him. In fact, we use all our senses to worship Him, our Lord and God.
- We participate in the sacraments or mysteries of the Church such as the Holy Qurbana and the Holy Confession, again not because it’s in the rulebook but because we know that it instituted by Him for our salvation for which we are eternally indebted to Him.
- We take effort to bring up our children in the faith because we are grateful to Him who has sustained us and wish the same for our children.
As we forge ahead into the new year, let us resolve to be more grateful to each other and to God.
At our home, for example, we’ve started with each of us talking about a few of the things we are grateful to God for, each day at prayer time.
Being grateful is good for us human beings and an attitude of gratitude will go a long way in helping us in our journey towards God! Let us be like that one leper who came back to Christ to thank Him for the healing he had received, unlike the other nine.
Thanking God for His continued grace and mercy upon us all and His Church.
May God bless us all!
Enjoyed the content here? You might like reading these too:
Is it possible to love your enemies?
Towards understanding the Orthodox Church
Are you living the life of the Church?
How is Christian love different?
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Hi! My name is Rubitah. I’m a Content Writer certified Life Coach, Counselor, Social Work professional and the Founder of Being Rubitah. Over the years through my professional and personal life, I have realized that prayers and love can do wonders to family life once you come to terms with yourself and surrender to God. Do you relate to me? Then you may like what I post here! Read more about me
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Most appropriate for the year beginning
Thank you daddy! 🙂