I Will be Grateful

Gratitude is never INVISIBLE or SILENT.
    Luke 6:45 "For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of."

Gratitude begins where your SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT ends.
    What do you feel entitled to? Sin creeps into our hearts when we fail to see life as a gift.

Grateful people can find a BLESSING or create a BLESSING in almost any situation.
    Gratitude is not based on how good your situation is but on how good you see your situation to be.

-Compiled from Pete Wilson and Steven Furtick's teachings

Gratitude isn't just throwing down a "thanks" to someone. It's recognizing an effort, a commitment, a decision.

We need to take notice. 

When someone genuinely asks how you're doing, when they simply smile at you, it means the world. Yet we become accustomed to these formalities. We accept them as normal, expected acts. As such, we begin to ignore them. They become less beautiful because they are expected. It's no longer real-it's synthetic.

Smiles and general inquiries have lost their passion. They have become ignored-sometimes dropped altogether. 

We've lost it.

Genuine inquiries are seen intrusive to personal life, we are skeptical of their intentions.

We are no longer grateful for other's concern.

We are no longer grateful.

We thank God for the day, for our food, family, blessings. For the things we experience and see. We are appreciative of the physical. We understand he gives us things we can't see. Peace, patience, hope...

But who is he? Are we thankful for his character? His efforts, commitments, and decisions? His decision to love us? Or do we take that for granted? Once again, it becomes a common thing-like a smile. No longer treasured and marveled at.

Yet he does not stop loving us. It stretches farther to him displaying and proving his love. But we all know that.....

We are no longer grateful for things we know and have heard for years-it's nothing new.

We are no longer grateful.

So this year it begins: 

I'm going to notice what others do. I'm going to actively search them out. The little things, the big ones. Their sacrifices, decisions, and I'm going to be grateful for them. I will not be silent. To do so would be to ignore their efforts. And to ignore them as beautifully loved people. 

It begins today. I will not be silent.

I WILL GIVE THANKS AND GRATEFUL BE.

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