HAVING AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE
Psalms 67:1 May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us.
Perhaps you have heard you pastor say this in his closing blessing of the Sunday morning worship service. It is very common and like most things even though they are good become taken for granted and often not even paid attention to when repeated enough. We see this with the Lord’s Prayer and even taking communion.
Taking things for granted can be be dangerous especially when it relates to God or those we love. Many marriages have been broken up not out of something terrible happening, but simply taking each other for granted and the love and appreciation that once was so strong is now gone. It doesn’t have to be this way with our relationships with other people and certainly not with God. It is a matter of keeping those things we cherish fresh, special and appreciated.
In a marriage it is a good thing for a husband and wife to express their love for one another by things said and done. Washing dishes can become a blessing when we know that our loved ones appreciate what we are doing. The same can be said about our children as they go off to school. The other day I mentioned to our grandchildren about helping me save some money by turning off the lights after leaving the room. Today our granddaughter told me that she shut off the lights in the bathroom, and I told her that I appreciated it and I loved her. She smiled back and told me she loved me too. It is amazing how a little gratitude can change an attitude.
The same can be said about the Lord. Sometimes just like with the closing blessing at church, we can take God for granted. The blessing is there, but the appreciation is never mentioned. It is a good thing to thank the Lord, and not to take all his many blessings for granted.
As we have been finishing up the calendar year in the book of Psalms one thing about King David is certainly evident, and it is love and appreciation for the Lord and all God did in his life. So many times he sings of the greatness of God’s blessings. Doing this it not only blesses the Lord, but it encourages others and even himself. I don’t care how many times someone tells me that they love me, it always blesses me. I never get tired of it, or take the effort to tell me it for granted. I know that sometimes with familiarity it is easy to say they know that I love and appreciate them, but to hear it makes all the difference even with God.
Don’t forget to tell those that you love and appreciate how you feel and do it often. And certainly don’t forget to tell the Lord too!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, we love you so much. You are so good to us. Truly when your face shines on us, we are the most blessed people. Thank you Jesus, Holy Spirit and Heavenly Father. You are a great and wonderful God!
