Keep the Gratitude Flowing

Posted on November 24, 2011 by Aya Eneli, One of Thousands of Christian Coaches on Noomii.

Thanksgiving Day may have come and gone, but that shouldn’t stop the gratitude from continuing to flow. Our natural tendency is to focus on where we want to see improvement – a slim body, a new car, a new job, more money, a new romance and the like. While I will be the first to encourage you to always grow and aim high, we actually stunt our own progress when we fail to be grateful for what we already have, and what we have been spared.

A twelve year old boy named David was asked what he wanted, his reply, “I want to walk barefoot on grass and touch my mother’s hand.” Why such a simple response? Well, here is the rest of the story. David was born without an immune system. He was about to undergo a bone marrow transplant in order to correct his deficiency. Up to that point he had spent his entire life in a plastic bubble in order to prevent exposure to common germs, bacteria and viruses that could kill him. He lived without ever knowing human touch. David wanted something most of us take for granted daily.

What are you taking for granted in your life today? What relationships are you neglecting? What possessions are you misusing? Could a little more gratitude actually transform how you view your life and the world? How different would your day be if you started the morning by thanking God for every cell and body part that is working? How about thanking him for the ability to work, and touch and be touched?

Thank you Lord that I am alive. Thank you God for the seemingly endless laundry, cleaning and cooking. It means I have a family and the ability to care for them. Thank you for friends and even for those who don’t like me. Thanks for a roof over my head for yet another day. Thank you for the privilege of living in a free country. Thank you for the freedom to worship my God without persecution. Thanks for all the things that could go wrong and break down, but haven’t.

In his book, How to Be Decadent, George Mikes writes. “In Budapest, a man goes to the Rabbi and complains, ‘Life is unbearable. There are nine of us living in one room. What can I do?’ The Rabbi answers, ‘Take your goat into the room with you.’ The man is incredulous, but the Rabbi insists. ‘Do as I say and come back in a week.’ A week later, the man comes back looking more distraught than before. ‘We cannot stand it,’ he tells the Rabbi. ‘The goat is filthy.’ The Rabbi then tells him, ‘Go home and let the goat out and come back in a week.’ A radiant man returns to the Rabbi a week later exclaiming, ‘Life is Beautiful. We enjoy every minute of it now that there are only the nine of us.’” Wow, what miracles a little perspective can bring!

So, how about you? In what areas do you need to adjust your perspective? What if we all stopped whining and complaining and actually gave thanks and showed some gratitude? Can we be kinder to the checkout clerks this season? Can we be thankful for supervisors who get on our case because it actually causes us to become better workers? Can we be grateful for our jobs no matter how menial or unfulfilling we may find them? Can we honor in-laws, parents and family members who aren’t always on the same page as us? Can we appreciate the father/mother of our child (even if we are no longer with that person) because they have given us the gift of a child?

Life is truly all about perspective and when you adopt an attitude and lifestyle of gratitude, I guarantee that all your days will be brighter and all your misfortunes as mere hiccups. I wish you an abundant life.

Aya Fubara Eneli is a best-selling author, Christian Life Coach, Motivational Speaker and Attorney. Her life’s purpose is to empower and equip people to live up to their highest potential. For more information or to book her for your next event, visit http://www.ayaeneli.com, or e-mail her at info@ayaeneli.com.