Be thankful for everything that happens in your life; it’s all an experience.” - Roy T. Bennett
The word gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, which means grace, graciousness, or gratefulness (depending on the context). In some ways, gratitude encompasses all of these meanings.
Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible. With gratitude, people acknowledge the goodness in their lives. In the process, people usually recognise that the source of that goodness lies at least partially outside themselves. As a result, being grateful also helps people connect to something larger than themselves as individuals — whether to other people, nature, or a higher power.
In our lives we all have had something to be grateful for. Even simple things such as a person’s smile has sometimes made us feel happy and be gracious. Gratitude is basically being thankful for all things that we are blessed with.
As G. K. Chesterton says, “Thanks are the highest form of thought, and gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” We miss out on so much when we fail to live gratefully.
In life we all tend to dwell on what we would like to have. We are jealous of the person who has more things than us. If we don’t own a house and if a friend or relative of ours owns it, our aim would be to own a house. We are all searching for things which we don’t have. We are never happy, contended, grateful or thankful with what we have. We want more and we are always looking to the next bigger or better thing.
Thankfulness or Gratitude means being happy with what God has blessed us with. Our motto in life should be “I have enough” and not “I want more.”
Gratitude helps us sense God’s presence, His personal care, and His perfect timing. As James 1:16-17 says “Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.”
During difficult times, it’s very easy for us to feel overwhelmed or drained by life. Negative feelings and thoughts can creep in, which makes it difficult to see the positives around us. However, gratitude, can help to alleviate these feelings, make us happier, healthier, and more settled in ourselves.
To conclude I think people who live a life of pervasive thankfulness really do experience life differently than people who cheat themselves out of life by not feeling grateful.
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” - John F. Kennedy
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