The grace of God—in it we live our lives, and
if there
is nothing we can do to take that away, then there
is nothing
left for us to do except to be God's grateful
people, to offer up an overflowing cup of
thanksgiving back to God, a full cup of gratitude
spilling out of everything we say and do…
C.S. Lewis wrote, "I have
noticed that the most balanced minds praise the
most, while the cranks and the misfits and the
malcontents, they are the ones who are the least
grateful." When you read the words of Paul,
"And so I give thanks to God always," it makes you
want to go out and be less cranky yourself, be more
grateful yourself.
from The
Full Life
by The Rev. Joanna Adams
Surprising Gratitude
We are often most thankful for that which we donít
expect,
that which we donít deserve, that which shocks us
out of our
complacency and robotic lives.
Each day, indeed each moment, the works of God are
interrupting our lives, and every time we are awake
to the
movement of Godís hand in creation, our hearts
inflate with
thanksgiving.
It is not that we set out to pray a prayer of
thanksgiving. It is that the very surprise catches
our breath, and what escapes from our heart are
words of thanks.
from A
Month of Devotions
to Help You
Pray: Day 16
Thanks-living
All other human efforts to infuse life with meaning and
purpose start from the perspective of getting
something we
don't already have, whereas Christianity starts with
the
understanding that we have already received all
there is to
have. What remains is how to say thanks for that
incredible
gift.
from
The Gospel of Thanks-living
by Bob Hansel
