"The Gift of Gratitude"

Be at rest once more, o my soul, for the Lord has been good to you. Psalm 116:7

How can I repay the Lord for all his goodness to me? Psalm 116:12

I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord. I will fulfill my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the Lord - in your midst, o Jerusalem. Praise the Lord. Psalm 116:17-19

Sometimes thankfulness is a reflex action. We feel it bloom inside us and express itself in a smile, a hug, a song…

Often, however, thankfulness begins with a choice. In my experience, there is usually a moment on which it hinges – a moment when it is up to me whether I will open or close my soul to gratitude.

One of the hidden gifts of thankfulness is humility. The joy of gratitude is not just related to whatever we’ve received, but that we’ve received something we probably couldn’t have given ourselves. Even the positive outcomes of our own hard work depend, at least to some extent, on factors beyond our control. No one works harder than a farmer, and no one knows better how much the harvest depends on the right balances of sun, rain, and earth.

Even as we express our gratitude for God’s good gifts,
We receive the gift of gratitude itself;
Pressed down and overflowing.

Let us seek the way of pure kindness…
In the name of the Father.

Let us shut the door on anxiety…
In the name of Jesus.

Let us remember beauty…
In the name of the Holy Spirit.

Even as we express our gratitude for God’s good gifts,
We receive the gift of gratitude itself;
Pressed down and overflowing…
Pressed down and overflowing.

Amen

(Pastor Scott Burnett)