A Thankful Heart

The apostle Paul said, “Rejoice always, I say rejoice…In everything give thanks for this is the will of God for you.” In everything we must give thanks – whether in abundance or want, in joy or in sickness and pain, we must give thanks. It means there is a blessing in disguise even in our painful situations!

A song says, “Count your blessings, name them one by one. See what God has done!”. God is blessing us in countless ways. He is blessing us with sunshine and rain, with gifts given by friends, with the kindness and love of our siblings, with our jobs by which we can earn a living, with fruits for every season, with gifts and talents we can use for His service, with books written for our growth in knowledge and love, with His divine words written in the sacred scriptures of our major religions, and many, many more!

A thankful heart is the antidote to depression. We are to thank God for everything because every situation is an opportunity to grow into a better person. He desires that He will be all in all to us, that we will be so united with Him and surrender our whole hearts to Him. Let us thank Him that He desires to be one with us. Being thankful to God for everything – both the joys and the pains – means that we are thankful for the gift of life, for to live is to laugh and to cry, and to live is to love with all our hearts.

We should start our prayers praising and thanking God for many things, even before we make our petitions to Him. Thanking God always is the way to constant joy.