Gratitude is a positive power, an actual cooperation of the mind and feelings, often coupled with physical action. There are times in the life of every man and woman when the vicissitudes of life cause the spiritual fire of faith and enthusiasm to ebb low and the soul to become weighted with the cares and problems of the day. At such times, each individual faces a fork on the cross-road of life. Each one may wallow in the indulgence of self-pity or one may use their same energies of thought and feeling to build for the soul new wings upon which to rise above circumstances. When one has so risen, looking down upon the obstacle, they seem small in proportion to the goodness of God as expressed through the years in their daily life. 

Nature abhors a vacuum. Humans were made to think and feel and spurred on by such thoughts and feelings would often perform acts of an uplifting or exalted nature. Then on the returning cycle of life would experience either the exaltation of work well done or the remorse for foolish actions. When the storm clouds of life hang low, when the individual experiences weigh heavily on the burdened soul, wise is the one who practices the exercises that create both thoughts and feelings of gratitude for the gifts of life. 

Unfortunately, the daily stresses that weigh heavily upon the soul often fill the mind and feelings with an importance out of all proportion to the good that has poured from the kindly hands and heart of God and all ministering representatives through the ages. A little time of retrospection will reveal how good has been the Presence of God. Every man, woman and child has much for which to be grateful! Gratitude is not an activity of the mind alone, although the mind will serve to bring to remembrance the kindnesses, the mercies of God. Gratitude is primarily an attitude of feeling. This must be cultivated, especially when the soul is stirred by distress. Such practice does give relief to the feelings, inspiration to the mind, peace to the spirit and health to the body. Perhaps you know that the Chinese word for “crisis” has two characters – the first character means “danger”; the second means “opportunity”. Thus every experience of life truly can be either an impending disaster or an opportunity to fashion out of experience greater strength, endurance, tolerance, mercy and love.

Every member of the family and of one’s business and social contacts has performed some service, through the common gift of God’s life, for which one can be honestly and sincerely grateful. If one will ask God to reveal the ‘thread of gold’ amid the dross of a human personality, God will not fail to answer that one and expand that perfection, with gratitude for its presence. Tying one’s energies into an active feeling of gratitude for such service, such virtue, such manifestation of goodness, the individual may soar above the aggravations, the self-pity and the depressions that short-circuit their own line to the Source of All-Good. The individual toward whom another desires to express gratitude may not, of necessity, have performed a direct personal service toward that particular personality. If one is constructively serving life in any capacity, another individual can consciously send forth thoughts and feelings of gratitude to that one for such service.

A beautiful and rewarding way to start each day is to send forth gratitude to God just for the presence of life, for the forces of the elements – the sun, water, air and the good Earth. It lifts the soul closer to the very Essence of God.