The Psalms teach us that God longs for sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving. Historically, I took a lot of my life for granted, and thus, was not very thankful. I believed God had a purpose for my life, and hmm, maybe he should have been thanking me for my willingness to do the hard work.
Over time, my spiritual pride died down, and while I never stopped believing that he had a purpose for me, I did settle into a new belief structure. Eventually, the Holy Spirit started prompting me to be grateful. I’d be driving down the street thanking God. I’d wake up in the middle of the night praising God. I do believe that gratitude was a gift from God; it was a righting of my relationship with God. For this, I am grateful.
Now, I try to wake each morning by thanking God for the gift of another day; for the ability to give it another go. The spiritual journey is that, a journey, and each day teaches me more about the Lord, my God. Thus, I should be eternally grateful for the gift of being able to start fresh each day; fresh in the sense of leaving yesterday’s self behind, but taking all that I had learned before into a new day.
Expressing gratitude to God is a way of bringing joy into your day. It brings joy because it is the right relationship with the one who gave you this day to enjoy. Spend time today thanking God, and praising him for all he has done. Spend some time in silence as you ponder the joy of being loved by God.
In Him,
Ms. Debra Weldon, O.P.
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