Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Heart-felt Gratitude


I know, I know! Thanksgiving is almost a month away. But I've been thinking a lot lately about how blessed I am at this point in my life. God has blessed me in so many ways and I am so thankful.

One of the things that prompted me to write this post at this time was a little article I read; it was written by the editor-in-chief of Guidepost magazine, Edward Grinnan. I trust it will be OK to quote him in my post, as you could also read it in the November issue of the magazine.

He said: "One of the pleasures of growing older is the perspective it brings to the store of blessings that multiply in your life; growing older means growing more grateful. Of course there is loss and heartache and disappointment too. But it is against these adversities that our blessings stand in high relief, the joy of family and friends and faith and work, and gratitude for the gifts each new day holds. These are the things that make us whole, and with which, as I daily remind myself, I am so richly and undeservedly blessed. Even in these dark and troubled times I find more to be thankful for than not--much more. Gratitude is a practice of the soul that helps us live happier lives and grow closer to God, and our blessings are the living evidence of His grace."

PSALM 100
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs.
Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us and we are His, we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.
For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.

6 comments:

Wanda..... said...

I like his phrases, "Gratitude is a practice of the soul" and "...these are the things that make us whole".

Over time, purposely counting ones blessings, does give one a peaceful frame of mind and a better outlook on life.

Diana said...

I find this to be true! The older I get the more grateful I feel for all of my blessings! Love Di ♥

Brenda said...

Amen. We are blessed.

I like this quote: I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder. ~G.K. Chesterton

Dee said...

I agree with..the older I get the more thankful I become in my spirit. My eyes are more open to all that I have been through and who brought me through it.♥

elaine @ peace for the journey said...

I love the perspective I've gleaned with my growing older; even more so, with my having cancer. It's birthed new lenses within my heart. I'm seeing life much more clearly these days, and I am grateful for every good grace and kindness that comes to me from others via the heart of God.

Thank you for blessing my life with yours. Have a great day.

peace~elaine

Cindy said...

I agree with the other comments. I think we gain a deeper perspective of what is really important as we get older and are able to embrace gratitude for things that we took for granted before.

(p.s. I'm having a cookbook giveaway at my blog if you're interested.)