Attitude of Gratitude
Do you believe that all people want to be happy? Whatever it is you are doing today, for example, you’re traveling, there’s only one reason for that - you want to be happy.
One time I was talking to this person and I had a chance to ask what his goal in life is. His answer was pretty simple. He said, “You know Aika, my goal in life is very simple. I only want to be happy. Maybe when I get my own car, my own house and we won’t have to rent anymore, or when I get to travel abroad, maybe then I will be happy.” Have you heard the same from people you know?
Then there’s this person I really know. This person is well-off. He has money, savings, multiple cars and a house of his own. He also gets to travel abroad. However, every time I get a chance to talk with him, he would always speak about the negative things. Clearly, he is not able to appreciate the things that he already have.
The third person is someone who’s not poor and not rich, he has just enough to get by. He does not have savings, or his own car. He does not have his own house. But each time we get to talk with him, he’s happy. He’s grateful. He can see God’s blessings in his life. Have you met someone like him too? Oprah Winfrey said, “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” What does that mean? It means that whatever you have now, big or small, if you learn to be grateful for that, you will have even more. On the other hand, if you focus on things that you don’t have the more you end up losing even the very things you have.
Remember this: “It is not happiness that makes us grateful. It is gratefulness that makes us happy.” It is not true that if you reach the point that you can say you’re happy then you will be grateful. You will never be happy when you are ungrateful. Let’s say you have a boyfriend for 20 years. He decides to leave you for another woman. Now, that really hurts. But then again, looking on the brighter side, the positive side, you can be thankful that he left you after 20 years instead of leaving you long after you’ve been married and you already have kids. There really is always something to be grateful for.
There is something you can be thankful for every day. Whatever is happening in your life, good or bad, be thankful for it because it will surely accomplish its purpose. If you will look back, you were able to overcome every challenge you encountered. This is another thing you can be thankful about. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 also says, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” If you never encountered those obstacles, you can never be who you are today.
Always train your mind and heart to see the good in people and things. Know for a fact that gratitude is the parent and the greatest of all virtues!
