The Thankful Life
Every now and then I encounter some very special people. They are typically undergoing major life struggles and are often in hospital. I visit them with the aim of providing a bit of “Soul Support” and hope they will receive some encouragement. I leave feeling enlivened, empowered and liberated. I then realize that I have again been in the presence of a grateful person.
Grateful people understand that God is the giver of all good things and that we are the recipients. The thankful life is lived in view of the hard things of our existence not in spite of them. It is celebrating God’s love and faithfulness despite circumstances.
Thankfulness in life may start with the basic exercise of saying thank you to God at meals. But we need to move on and thank God for the people who are special to us and the beauty of the world around us. Often our thankfulness then runs dry. We need to learn how to thank God for opportunities to grow, serve, help and even suffer. God is building our character and hope and struggles are just as important as victories.
Psalm 22:3 says‚Ķ “Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One; you are the praise of Israel.”
Today many of us take time to thank God for the influence of our earthly fathers, let us never forget our Heavenly Father.
Stephen Semenchuk