Gratitude and Appreciation
A Reading for the week of April 21, 2019
From Nature’s Whispers by Angela Hartfield. Artwork by Josephine Wall
Key Statement: Recognize the good qualities in others and openly share your gratitude with them. Write notes of thanks to those who have helped you. If someone deserves acknowledgement, take the time to let a superior or colleague know that they receive the recognition they deserve. Nature is continually sharing its beauty for us to appreciate. Beholding a rainbow is a gift, and when we encounter a rainbow’s beauty, it is a perfect time to be grateful for all the gifts in our lives. It is important to generate the positive flow of thankfulness that can bring joy into someone else’s life. By doing so you will not only decrease your stress, you will also generate the feeling of goodwill and love in your life.
Gratitude is a recognition of the giving of others and of the giving of life. It is a recognition of what you have right now. It is a recognition of the miracle of your existence. It is such a breakthrough to have this experience and this awareness. For not only are you endowed with wonderful things and have wonderful opportunities, you also have the promise of a greater fulfillment in the world through the discovery and the expression of your greater purpose, and the immensely powerful relationships this will bring into your life, a life that will yield greater gifts to the world than you can now even think of.
There is a simple chorus that I used to sing in Sunday School that says,
“Count your blessings, name them one by one;
count your blessings see what God hath done;
count your blessings name them one by one
and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.”
I find this chorus to be true as it helps generate a positive flow of thankfulness within my thoughts and within my speech. Why? Because appreciating my strengths and my weaknesses helps me get inspired to recognize and acknowledge others in their gifts and strengths. Its gives them joy when they are recognized. When I write down what Spirit has done for me, I offer my gratitude to Creator for all the things that Spirit done for me. It honours Creator.
Gratitude is an anchor for light, compassion and inspiration in this ever-changing world. It is an anchor for unconditional love to spread throughout the planet. When love knits our hearts together into a beautiful quilt of unity, the result is not merely stronger affection, but also stronger understanding. (John Piper) A greater understanding of your nature and purpose in this world, you will begin to experience what a marvel it is that you even made it this far given all the risks along the way, given all the difficulty of entering this separated existence, and all the work and coordination it took, both from your friends beyond the world and your friends here.
I also believe ‘that thankfulness is an essential guardian of the soul, and therefore we should guard ourselves with gratitude.’ (John Piper)
Be thankful. The message about gratitude can be heard these days, loud and clear. Being thankful is such an important practice to hold onto in this fast-paced world in which we live…just simply noticing the things we are thankful for.
In your gratitude journal, which is one way to cultivate your gratitude by writing down your moments, your encounters or situations that enrich your life. Ask yourself this question and write down your thoughts on this.
What ‘Thank you’ is longing to be expressed to someone in my world?