Gratitude: A Key to Happiness 2

One thing I have noticed in many people including myself is that often times, we wait for special occasions to show appreciation, we even wait till thanksgiving to say thank you to the Lord who counts us worthy to see each day. Instead of being grateful for the undeserved blessings that we enjoy, we adapt the consumer-oriented approach by laying emphasis on the things we want but do not have. In my opinion, that is not the best approach to get anyone to do things for you. If instead of thanking me each time I go out of my way to give you something, especially one that you didn't earn, the only thing you do is tell me about the ones I am yet to do, I would be reluctant or better yet, not go further in giving you any other thing.

But you see, such is not the case with God, for the Bible says "If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself" 2 Timothy 2: 13,  we also "Know that the LORD our God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping His covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments". Deuteronomy 7: 9 and "He is kind to the ungrateful and the evil" Luke 6: 35. However, "Should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace"? Romans 6: 1

Yes, you read right, in case you did not know, ingratitude is a sin, infact, it has been said to be the most common sin. Notice that it is one of the things that Paul wrote as the contributors to the terrible times in the last days. "People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, UNGRATEFUL, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God". 2 Timothy 3:1 - 4. On that note, I ask you, if you want to be a happy person, why do you engage yourself in the things that leads to being terrible?

So, now that you know that ingratitude is not only a sin, it contributes to terrible times, I implore you to delibrately cultivate an attitude of gratitude, thank God more, thank people more, write down the things you are grateful for, send thank you notes, give hugs or even handshakes to people when they do things for you, no mattter how small it may be. Do not be like the children of Isreal who grumbled and made God ask “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them?" Numbers 14: 11, instead, take the advice of Dr. Emmons in his book Thanks!: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier,  "roll up your sleeves and commit yourself to becoming grateful and you will see that with gratitude comes abundance" because in his study, he found out that practicing gratitude can increase happiness levels by around 25%, make you sleep better, suffer less illness, have more energy, make you more optimistic about the future, and feel better about your life.

I leave you with these words of wisdom: "If the only prayer you say in your life is “Thank You” that would suffice" by Meister Eckhart and John F. Kennedy's “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” so "I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness". 1 Timothy 2: 1 - 2