Why is gratitude important? Why should we be thankful for things? From my own experience, I have found that when I focus on what I don’t have, I get down. When I am down, I get anxious. Once anxious, it brings about more anxiety and it is a continuous cycle, a downward spiral. It is hard for me to describe properly but suffice it to say that is my reality.
Yet when I appreciate things, it seems I focus less on me. I tend to look outward more. I see the needs of others and I have a desire to help. When I help, I feel better in general and about myself. This can also be a cycle except that it tends to make me more content rather than ill at ease.
We have a world filled with needs and too many of us have too much. We are used to our excess but believe we are lacking. I can only hope more of us will realize we don’t need to have the latest gadget or bigger TV or new car. Perhaps the monthly allowance we spend on Starbucks could be used to help a family eat. Rather than watching the latest on TV, we could write a letter to a friend or family member in prison.
Some people say they have nothing for which to be thankful. They can start small. We can express thanks for little victories in life. Begin by being appreciative for anything and start building from there. Once we realize there is so much good in our lives, we start to see others around us who have needs and we can start to help them. Little by little, we can erode the deficiencies and injustices in our world.
I recently read a Facebook post that I also shared. It said “If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we’d be happy with more?” So why is gratitude important? Why should we be thankful for things? Maybe there some biological mechanism that is lubricated so we operate more affectively as humans when we are thankful? Perhaps God, in His infinite wisdom, knows it is a way to open us up to do His will. Just a thought…
No comments:
Post a Comment