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PROGRAM D-8125
I have given you six practical ways to develop a genius for gratitude. Now, here’s the final one:
- Begin every prayer time with thanksgiving. Psalm 100 tells us to enter the gates of the Lord with thanksgiving and enter His courts with praise. Whenever you enter into the presence of God, always enter with thanksgiving.
I have found that this changes my prayer time. If I begin with all my needs and requests, I am self-focused. If I begin with thanksgiving—reciting some of the many things I have to be thankful for—I am God-focused. What a difference that makes in my time spent with God—and that in turn makes a difference in my day.
Let me tell you some of the great things that will happen as you develop this genius for gratitude:
- People will like you much better. Thankful people are nice to be around. Your relationships will improve. You’ll have more friends.
- Your energy level will go up. It’s true. When you’re thankful, you unleash a lot of good energy that is often wasted on complaining and negativism. You will do more work in less time. That’s going to make you a better employee, which will make your boss happy! I won’t go so far as to say you’ll get a raise, but then again—who knows?
- Your stress will go down. I’m not making this up, folks. When you are being thankful, you are thinking about the good things in your life, and that keeps you from focusing on the negative things. It’s like a release valve on a pressure cooker—you will see your stress go down.
- Your face will be prettier—or more handsome, whichever you prefer! Think about it: when you are thankful, you’re not worried or fretting, and those things cause lines in our faces and age us! You’ll look younger!
- Your posture will improve. When you’re thankful, you stand up straighter. When you’re negative, your shoulders tend to stoop and your back curves.
There’s power in thankfulness. You have much to gain. But way above and beyond all of these, here’s the most important reason to be thankful: You will honor and glorify Jesus Christ as He deserves. When you overflow with thankfulness, you tell the world what Jesus has done for you and you are a good ambassador for Him. Not to mention, it pleases Him to see your thankful heart.
You and I can be a genius at something—we can be a genius at gratitude. What a way to live!