Gratitude or being thankful is not a practice which is relegated to the fourth Thursday of November. It is an everyday practice. Gratitude can turn a life from deep depression to profound appreciation for all the benefits in our lives despite whatever difficulties you may be facing.

I will admit that this is not an easy practice if your body is racked with pain, you lack nutritional food, or you live on the edge of financial insecurity. It takes a boat load of faith in a loving God to say thank you for what you have with no resentment about what you want and do not have.

A few weeks ago, I received a lesson on how to pray a humble prayer of gratitude. I, along with my husband and another couple, served a dinner at the local family shelter for 35 people. The group consisted of parents and children, lots of children. When asked if someone would like to say the grace, a young boy, maybe 9 or 10 years old, shot his hand into the air without hesitation.

He came to the front of the room and opened a lined sheet of notebook paper on which he had written his grace. A full page! He started by thanking God and praising His name. He thanked God for the food he was about to receive. He asked God to provide a home for each of the families living at the shelter. He thanked God for the safe shelter that he had currently. He thanked the providers of the food for their generosity and service.

He wasn’t boastful or bashful. He was genuine and sincere in his prayer of thanksgiving. This child has none of the material benefits that generally cause people to be thankful. He is living in a homeless shelter with his mother and siblings. He eats meals provided by volunteers. His play yard is a macadam parking lot.

What he does have is a God who loves him unconditionally and he knows that is a fact in his life. At the end of his prayer, most eyes were moist. We realized that we have so much to be thankful for in our own lives and yet, we neglect to acknowledge and be appreciative of that reality.

Does God need our gratitude to be fulfilled in His nature? If you accept that God is the most perfect of all beings than God doesn’t need anything to be fulfilled. For me personally, the outpouring of gratitude, not just at Thanksgiving but always, is my expression of joy and appreciation for the unconditional love that is the integral characteristic of the Triune God. We have so much to be thankful for! Thank you, God!

Terri