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PROGRAM D-8124
Has anyone ever said to you, “You have a genius for gratitude”? Honestly, that’s never happened to me and probably not to you, either. Yet this should be a characteristic of our lives as believers—a grateful heart that overflows with thankfulness.
With all my heart, I do believe this: if you learn to practice thankfulness, people will notice. They’ll notice your joyful spirit; they’ll notice your words of thanks; they’ll notice the smile on your face and the bounce in your step. You look better when you overflow with thankfulness. It softens the lines in your face, makes you look younger, and gives a gentleness to your words.
You don’t believe me? Then I challenge you to practice thankfulness and see if people don’t notice the difference in you. I’ve given you four suggestions to help you become a genius at gratitude. Here are two more:
- Sing songs of gratitude. “Give thanks with a grateful heart” is one of my favorites. Sing or hum it to yourself throughout the day. How about “Count your blessings”? The Bible says to sing and make music in your heart to the Lord. It’s a great way to develop your genius for gratitude.
- Think about where you’d be without Jesus. That will make you thankful. There’s a song I like by Stephen Curtis Chapman entitled “Remember Your Chains.” The chorus says this:
Remember your chains. Remember the prison that once held you
Before the love of God broke through.
Remember the place you were without grace.
And when you see where you are now,
Remember your chains, and remember your chains are gone.
For me, nothing makes me more grateful and thankful than remembering what Jesus has done in my life and hearing what He has done in the lives of others. Each year, some of my close friends get together at my home on New Year’s Day. One of our traditions is to re-tell our stories—to remember that our chains are gone. What a great experience that is! We always overflow with thankfulness when we remember where we were before we met Jesus.
Don’t miss this opportunity to develop your genius for gratitude. It is the only way to live!