PRACTICE GRATITUDE

Q.  I know that thinking positively is best for our health and well-being but I have a hard time doing this. I start out in a positive frame of mind and then my kids start arguing, my boss gets critical, the traffic is terrible and the cares of the day just get to me. What’s the secret of learning to think positively? How can anyone who is sick or faced with a tragedy think positively?

A. Positive thinking is a health giving trait which we all need to learn. Even though there have been books written on the subject, there is a one word answer to how to become a positive thinking person. The word is “Gratitude.” If you practice gratitude you will learn positive thinking.

Hazen G. Werner in his book Live With Your Emotions, tells of a woman who had run out of hope. She felt trapped and despairing. One night in the midst of this she cried out “Thank you, God, anyway.” For a moment she felt better. She began to thank God more and her mood lightened. Soon she able to be grateful for several hours at a time and her hope grew.

       

David, who wrote most of the Psalms in the Bible, gives us a model of how to practice gratitude. In the midst of intense difficulties including despairing inner struggles David bursts forth with gratitude for every blessing. He is very human in his struggles with difficulties, even wondering where God is at times yet he continues to practice gratitude. 

       

How can we be grateful in the midst of tragic circumstances? How can we be grateful when we are sick and in pain or when we suffer major losses? We will need to cry and grieve and be upset but we can also look for and count our blessings in the midst of tragedy.

       

Thomas Edison, the genius inventor, lost his laboratory in a blazing fire in December 1914. The next morning, as he walked in the smoldering rubble he said, “There is great value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank God, we can start anew.” 

When things go well we take our blessings for granted. We even take credit for much that has been given to us by God or with the help of others. When tragedy strikes, big or small it forces us to recognize what’s important in life; that we need God and that we need each other. The tragedy thus becomes a blessing. 

There is a legend about a day when the sun didn’t appear. It was dark at eight AM, still dark at nine AM , ten AM, noon. By four PM people had gone to their churches to pray for the sun to return. The next morning crowds congregated outside to watch the eastern sky. When the first rays of sunlight streaked the sky the people burst into cheers and applause. They felt so grateful.

       

Minor annoyances of daily life are often more difficult to look on with gratitude than are major trials. We rise to meet a tough challenge yet let petty annoyances drag us down. Gratitude is still the key. If we count our blessings every day we will be better able to recognize the smallness of the annoyances. 

       

Learning a grateful attitude takes practice. This Thanksgiving Day let’s all practice gratitude and keep it up in the days and months ahead.

“Always be joyful. Pray continually, and give thanks whatever happens.That is what God wants for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16

Blessings, Dottie