Gratitude

“Drink and be thankful to the host! What seems insignificant when you have it, is important when you need it.” – Franz Grillparzer

Often times, we take what we have or what we are given for granted. There’s this popular saying that “You never know the value of what you have untill you lose it.” We are quick to assume that what we have or what we do get is our right or entitlement. Take 20 year old Damien for instance. He believed that the money dad always gave to him was his entitlement. Whenever it seemed like his account had taken too long to be credited, he lashed out and threw a tantrum. He didn’t show gratitude for it because, rather than see it as a gift, he saw it as a right. All that changed when dad lost his job and the money stopped coming. Damien had to do odd jobs 4 days of 7, only to make less than half of what dad used to give him. That was when it dawned on him that he had been, only by the grace of his father. Some of us are like Damien. It would take a tragedy for us to realise we should be thankful for what we have been blessed with. 

Today, Naaman received the gift of healing and returned to give thanks (to God through the Prophet Elisha). Ten lepers were also cleansed of their infirmities, and only one returned to give thanks. To emphasise the importance of thanksgiving, the Master asked: “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God…?” It took an accident which nearly claimed my life sometime in 2013 – on the eve of my exams – to realise that my life indeed is a gift from God and that everyday I live is worth being thankful for. You do not have to wait for some ill to draw your attention to the fact that you should be appreciative. Look around you. You have been blessed with one thing or the other, one way or another. Have you paused to take time from your “busy” schedule just to say “Thank you” to your benefactor? 

“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”

– Oprah Winfrey

What is it that you are, or you have been thankful for?