There Are Many Way To Be Grateful

Gratitude is not a noun, regardless of what the dictionary says - it is active.  Being grateful isn't a thing that is done once, it is something we continue to do and chose to do each day. We aren't grateful because of things around us but in spite of those things that try to bring us down. None of us get through life without some difficult things happening to us. But in those difficulties, we can either see that we can be grateful for or we can be brought down by our circumstances.

One of the most telling examples of this is through the life of the Apostle Paul. He was one of the most influencial people in the growth of the early Christian movement. His writings and letters are read and taught today, over 2,000 years after they were written. But Paul spend a good portion of his life after his conversion to Christianity in prison. He did not have the ability to go out to the people to speak to them once he was under house arrest. However, he continued to write letters and send them out to encourage the growing church. Yes, he was encouraging them, even while in prison. So, he didn't sit in his dwelling and feel sorry for his situation, he continued to use his time to be grateful that he could write a letter to encourage a young man named Timothy. He challenged the young church to remain strong and not give up.

I have known many people who have dealt with difficult and painful times in their lives. It is not always easy to look at the good when you are in pain and are suffering. I knew a woman who, in the midst of her cancer treatment, continued to encourage those around her. When she went to her treatments, she would share encouragement and love with everyone around her. She was an amazing woman and I was so impressed by her attitude during her treatment. She was not healed from the cancer and passed away. But her legacy, I believe, lives on in the lives she touched around her.

Today I am grateful my back is not hurting. Last week I could barely move after lifting something the wrong way. So I appreciate the freedom of movement without pain. If we have no pain, we have no measure of how wonderful wellness can be. Living in the northwest, we appreciate every sunny day we see because they are so rare in the wintertime. Everyone is out enjoying the day when the sun shines. In California, where I came from, we took the sun for granted because it was expected to shine every day. It is all how we look at things.

So, appreciate what you have today. Encouarge those around you, even if you don't feel like you are in a good place. It will give them a boost and most likely will give you one at the same time.