As a child, when my parents would tell me to be grateful, sometimes it seemed pretty trivial. Gratitude was a pleasant alternative to grumbling, but too often made me feel like a Pollyanna, especially when things weren't going well. Little did I realize the power that lay behind it.
Gratitude acknowledges what one currently possesses, no matter how minuscule that might seem at times. It turns a barren life into richness through an appreciation of the present good and present opportunity. In other words, gratitude is celebration of good in our lives, in ourselves, and in others. Though parents may teach children to be grateful, it's important that "thank you" not become a trained response of empty words. Gratitude is, as the French proverb says, "the heart's memory."
Many wonderful proofs that gratitude heals and contributes to one's general well-being are found in the pages of the Bible. The book of Psalms sings thanks to God for His many blessings. For the woman who humbly washed Jesus' feet with her tears and dried them with her hair, gratitude changed a life that wasn't working. See Luke 7:36-50 , But there is no more stirring example than that of Jesus standing outside the tomb where Lazarus had laid dead for four days. Once the stone was taken away, the Master looked up and said, "Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me." With that he commanded, "Lazarus, come forth" John 11:41, 43.—and he did!
