When my children were little, every night before bed I encouraged them to acknowledge all the good things that had happened to them during the day. This was a way of teaching them to be grateful for any kindness that they had experienced.
Later, as I learned about Christian Science, I came to understand that the grace of gratitude is a divine gift. It is an acknowledgment of ever-present good that Life gives us at every moment. It is a recognition from God that we are never alone. Through my study of Christian Science I’ve acquired a better understanding of the Scriptures, and this has helped me comprehend what it means to be grateful.
The Bible is full of accounts of gratitude. I have been struck by how Jesus expressed gratitude even before divine help was apparent. For example, before he raised Lazarus from the dead, we read that “Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me” (John 11:41). Also, Mary Baker Eddy writes in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, “Gratitude is much more than a verbal expression of thanks” (p. 3). They both acknowledged the ever-present, eternal good, God.
