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What If???

perfectingpatti
perfectingpatti Posts: 1,037 Member
edited January 2 in Social Groups
What if all you had today was what you thanked God for yesterday?

I'm speaking to a group of our students during the freshman retreat this year about prayer life. I'm going to focus on how and why to give thanks. My motto lately has been about gratitude. I really believe that an attitude of gratitude helps keep us happy and upbeat during times of sufferings.

Replies

  • penrbrown
    penrbrown Posts: 2,685 Member
    I've always found gratitude a difficult thing to grasp. Moreso when we were actually poor and suffering then now when I have everything.

    All I know is I'm thankful NOW for what gave me BEFORE but when I was in the before I was just scared, hungry and hurt. And I try to be grateful NOW for the things I have in this moment but I am often overwhelmed by the troubles of this world and it's difficult. As for what comes tomorrow? I'll probably be grateful for yesterday when tomorrow comes.
  • bushidowoman
    bushidowoman Posts: 1,599 Member
    I have a totally different perspective on gratitude.
    My childhood was chaotic--full of poverty, neglect, and abuse. My mentally-ill mother did not know how to manage what little money we received from welfare checks and food stamps, so for half the month every month, we were without food, electricity, heat, or running water. Yes, people from local churches sometimes stepped in and brought us food or paid the bills, but I never felt it was in a spirit of charity. It was with an air of superiority, looking down their noses at us. I know, because the children of these people would repeat what their parents said about us. I was an outcast, and the other kids would tease me when I showed up for school in my worn, dirty clothes...and they would tease me when I showed up in their old hand-me-downs that their parents brought to our house.

    I frequently look at my loving husband, my children, my home, my job (I was able to get an education from scholarships and loans)...and I can't believe that I really have all this. But the thing that I appreciate most? Being LOVED. How many people take love for granted? Being hugged and kissed and told "I love you" everyday? That is the best part of my life. I agree with Mother Teresa that loneliness is the worst form of poverty.

    I tell my children stories of my childhood to try to teach them about gratitude, about how blessed we all are to have a loving family, and about how to treat others who are different. But it's a foreign concept to them. And for that, I am thankful.
  • pumpkinoodle
    pumpkinoodle Posts: 36 Member
    Well, I think when you give out gratitude daily to others, it opens you up to receiving more gratitude in your life. If you want more thanks and praise in your own life, then give it out to others generously. I believe this teaches us to recognize gratitude easily and be thankful for the small stuff.

    Just today for example I was walking during my lunch hour, looking at the trees and thinking "How great is it that I have the ability to walk and talk and see? Thank you God for blessing me with ability to walk and talk and enjoy looking at the changing colors of these leaves."

    I don't want to take for granted what I have. I really want to appreciate it and grateful for it because it makes me happier and makes me a better person to others.
  • 276NoMore
    276NoMore Posts: 115 Member
    He wll NEVER give up on me (you, or anyone else) ... NEVER (I will be eternally grateful for that) - what an awesome eye opener that is for me. :)
  • orapronobis
    orapronobis Posts: 460 Member
    I grew up with very little. Nearly every day, I will notice something about the way I live now and offer up a prayer of thanks, always followed by a prayer that I would have to grace to accept losing it all and the faith to know He would see me through.
  • perfectingpatti
    perfectingpatti Posts: 1,037 Member
    I'll never forget something my mother said to me when I was in high school. She had been having a rough couple of months. She was raising 4 daughters on her own, money was tight, she needed a more reliable/safer car, and she had just found out she was being laid off. She was on her way to a job interview and we lived in Corpus Christi (think humidity, sweat, and frizzy hair when you're outside). She ran out of gas on her way to the interview. She had a couple of guys push her car into a gas station so she could get $3.00 worth of gas.

    As she was telling me what happened, she was smiling. She led up to what she got out of her day: "Thank God I was so close to a gas station". Instead of being pissed, stressed, having a meltdown, or crying, she found something to be grateful for in a bad situation. She taught me so much that day without even intending to.
  • orapronobis
    orapronobis Posts: 460 Member
    That's beautiful, Patti.
  • nancycaregiver
    nancycaregiver Posts: 812 Member
    That's awesome, perfectpat!! What a great role model you had!!! And what a legacy of gratitude to pass on to your children!!
  • grassette
    grassette Posts: 976 Member
    What if all you had today was what you thanked God for yesterday?

    I'm speaking to a group of our students during the freshman retreat this year about prayer life. I'm going to focus on how and why to give thanks. My motto lately has been about gratitude. I really believe that an attitude of gratitude helps keep us happy and upbeat during times of sufferings.

    Gratitude is a virtue that I am trying to develop in myself. And as Jesus is the perfect teacher, I look to how he practices gratitude in my daily gospel reading. And, is he ever a grateful person. It is amazing what you find when you are looking for it.
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