A thought by Mark Batterson from his
book, Double Blessing (p. 94). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle
Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)
So, generosity and gratitude go
together.
Mark says, “A wide variety of well-substantiated
studies have found that gratitude increases patience, decreases depression,
replenishes willpower, and reduces stress.1 It doesn’t just lengthen life; it
improves the quality of life. And if you want a good night’s sleep, don’t count
sheep. Count your blessings!
“The science of gratitude is pretty
straight forward but putting it into practice is an art form. Not only is
experimenting with new ways of expressing gratitude advisable, but it’s also
biblical. Isn’t that what the psalmist advocates? ‘Sing to the LORD a new song.’
(Psalm 96:1) God doesn’t just want to be worshipped out of left-brain memory;
He wants to be worshipped out of right-brain imagination. Finding new words and
new ways to worship God is part and parcel of living in wide-eyed wonder. That
said, I still haven’t come up with a better way of staying positive than the
good old-fashioned gratitude journal. Lora and I have each kept a gratitude
journal for the better part of a decade. My journal is multipurpose. It’s my
prayer journal, gratitude journal, and dream journal. After all, it’s the
answered prayers and fulfilled dreams that translate into gratitude anyway. I’m
just getting a head start.”
He goes on, “Several years ago, Lora
and I were inspired by Ann Voskamp’s wonderful book One Thousand Gifts.
We decided to start numbering our gratitudes every year with the goal of hitting
a thousand. I usually fall short of a thousand, but I end up with a lot more
than I would have otherwise! Numbering our gratitudes may be the most practical
way to count our blessings, naming them one by one. But it’s more than just a
best practice; it’s the baseline of obedience. The apostle Paul said, ‘Rejoice
always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances.’ (1 Thessalonians
5:16-18) That’s easier said than done but jotting down what I’m grateful for
every day is like a gratitude alarm reminding me that His mercies are new every
single morning. (Lamentations 3:22-23).”
He then says, “Do you remember the ten
lepers that Jesus healed? All ten were healed of leprosy, but only one of them
was healed of a much worse ailment—ingratitude.”
Luke 17:15-16 (NLT), “One of them,
when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” He
fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man
was a Samaritan.”
Mark continues, “Gratitude is a
pilgrimage back to the foot of the cross. It’s giving thanks and giving glory
to God.
“Flipping the blessing is giving unto
others as God has given unto us, but radical generosity starts with profound
gratitude for every good and perfect gift.”
God has been so very, very good to us. We need to find ways to be reminded of what He has done, don't we?
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