The Power of Gratitude
By Steve Gahagen
This week our country celebrates Thanksgiving. I’m grateful that we have a holiday that highlights the importance of gratitude. An attitude of gratitude can unleash life-giving power.
It is ironic that our Thanksgiving holiday has become the launching point of a season of unprecedented excess - “let’s give thanks and then go into debt to buy more.” But that’s another story.
Here is why gratitude is so powerful:
Gratitude provides the quickest way to a life of wealth. When we practice gratitude our focus is not so much on what is missing, but instead we realize that our life is rich. One reason I love being a part of people’s strengths discovery process is that the focus is on what someone has, not what they lack.
Gratitude is a natural response to grace. Grace is realizing you have been gifted so much in life. A German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote, “In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.”
Gratitude leads to a life of generosity, which is the most life-giving and contagious way to live. When one realizes they have been given so much, the natural response is to give, which then breathes life into others. It is a kind of life that creates more life.
I challenge you to pause and truly reflect on the many gifts of this past year. We at PTYS have created a dinner table guide (below) to provide a fun opportunity for your family or gathering of friends to share your thoughts on gratitude and life.
Thanksgiving conversation guide
Cultivate meaningful conversations this Thanksgiving. This free guide will help you and your family or friends:
Reflect on what you are grateful for
Share stories from the year
Encourage one another