Being Thankful/Grateful 
At this time of the year many may be tempted to rush around trying to buy gifts for friends, family, co-workers, etc. to show love and appreciation. But this is also the perfect time to check in and examine just how good God has been to us, and simply say “thank you.” Sincerely.

The word of God says it like this…

Psalms 100:4-5

4. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

5. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

Now is the perfect time to acknowledge his goodness and mercy toward us. To help us do this effectively, let us look at what these words mean.

The dictionary provides the following definitions:

Thankful: 

pleased and relieved.

“they were thankful that the war was finally over”

synonyms: grateful, appreciative, filled with gratitude, relieved

“she was thankful that the evening was over”

Grateful:

 an appreciation of kindness; thankful.

“I’m very grateful to you for all your help”

synonyms: thankful, appreciative; More

I have heard people say, “what have I got to be thankful/grateful for?” They then take time to list all the bad things (tragedy, losses, problems, hardships, etc.) that have happened to them along the way just to prove their point. This is easy to do, because many people find it easy to focus on the negatives of their life. By doing this, they magnify the lack and losses of their life. Thereby causing themselves stay in lack and loss even longer. They become crippled by their negative vision.

However, I challenge you to change your perspective and look at the positives of your life. Take some time to list the good things, (blessings, mercies, solutions, encouragements, etc.) that has also happened along the journey of your life. When your focus is on how good God has been, your faith is increased to receive even more from God. 

How is this possible? Just like our parents, when we express gratitude to them for all that they do for us as their children, they are then encouraged to do even more. When we come to God correctly, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name” (Psalms 100:4), God then wants to bless us even more.

It is up to us. We can be thankful and grateful with what God has already done, or we can be upset because we do not have all that we desire. If nothing else, God has allowed us all to see a new day full of new opportunities. A change of your perspective from negative to positive is the beginning of a blessed life. 

This is in your control. You can chose to be thankful and grateful. Choose happiness over misery. 

*** I hope this has blessed you and encouraged you to express thanksgiving to God. As always, I look forward to your comments. Be blessed by the word.