Giving Thanks

Have you taken time to consider what you are thankful for this season? 

I believe most of us know the importance of living with gratitude. Giving thanks has all kinds of physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits. However, it is easy to lose sight of these blessings that surround us. I will often find myself looking enviously at what my neighbors have. I wonder if I have enough. Do I need a bigger house? A newer car? Why do other families seem to have everything figured out? Thanksgiving sounds wonderful, but we often neglect the hope it shares. We are just to tied into the worries and fears of the world.

“A thankful heart is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the other virtues.” 

-Cicero

The ancient philosopher Cicero believed that all the other virtues came from thanksgiving. That's quite a statement! Does every other joy and good thing start by appreciating the gifts that surround us in the world? Modern psychologists are still trying to understand this, and they are still finding all kinds of connections between better health and gratitude. It just remains a question why we let our scarcity mentality win most of the time.

Today I want to live with a thankful heart. I don't want to rush past all the blessings that surround me in my home or in my church. There are too many reasons to let the darkness win. Let's open our hearts so that we can see the good.

Blessings,

Brian Ward