The Power of GratitudeSample

Day 6: Giving Thanks Is a Daily Task

If you read my book ¿Dónde dejé mi corazón? (Where Did I Leave My Heart?), you will remember that in chapter 8, I speak of the importance of cleaning your heart daily. Well, gratitude works the same way. Being grateful to God daily is perhaps one of the most difficult tasks for human beings. This is not necessarily because we are ungrateful; it’s probably because of our pace of life, hard work, and unfinished business. These make us live life automatically, and sometimes we don't make the time to thank God in it.

One Jewish custom I admire very much is that a Jew tries to thank God more than a hundred times a day. Although one hundred times seems like an exaggeration, when we put it into practice, it just means we are trying to be as grateful as possible to God, and this has an impact on our spiritual and physical world. 

Try to be as grateful as possible on a daily basis, no matter how each day goes—sad or joyful—and you will see how the day improves, or at least see how gratitude relieves you of any emotional burdens.

Has an unexpected event ever happened to you that changed the rest of your day? They served you the wrong food at the fast-food restaurant, someone cut through abruptly on the road, something didn't work out for you, or you had an argument with someone. On many occasions we allow a single event to sour us for the rest of the day. That's because we let the situation control our emotions, and that ends up controlling our behavior rather than us controlling our emotions and not letting an event determine the rest of the day. We all have bad moments, but not all bad moments last the same amount of time. Some turn into a bad week while others only last a few minutes to an hour. Everything hinges on what we confess with our mouths and keep in our hearts. If what we confess throughout the day is gratitude to our Creator, we align our mind and emotions with God. Gratitude brings joy and good feelings to our lives. Practicing it daily serves as a vaccine for those things that don't work out so well.

There are so many reasons why we can thank God, so it should not be too much work to be thankful on a daily basis. Thank God that you can see a new day because you are healthy, because He takes care of you, because you have something to eat, because you have a place to sleep. Thank Him because you have loved ones who value you and are patient with you. Thank God for loving you first because His mercies are new every day. Thank Him for providing for your needs. Be thankful because you can speak to Him and seek Him freely. Thank Him because He cares for your family. Thank Him for all the times He has delivered you from evil, and the list goes on. Gratitude is a good tool for speaking blessings because he who thanks God is giving Him glory.

Reflection  

• I encourage you to thank God daily, in the next seven days for as many things as possible, and you will see how your feelings and the way you see life change for the better and seem more meaningful. 

Prayer

Thank You, Father, for Your mercies that are new every day. I thank You for this day and ask You to help me develop the habit of being grateful every day.