What you read below is still so true but since I wrote this, our grandson needed an emergency appendectomy. He ended up being in the hospital for four days. He had a rough time but is on the mend now. We just got home yesterday which is why such a short and late post.
Gratitude is so important to our prayer life. And even though this isn’t the prayer 101 post, I was supposed to write, it is still appropriate to prayer because gratitude is one of the first precepts for a healthy prayer life.
Most of us have no problem being grateful when things are good. I always try to remember that while the sun is shining over me right now, it might now always, like with my grandson’s surgery. We need to develop the practice of gratitude so when the sun moves away, it’s become a normal part of our prayer life. It’s automatic although not routine.
Part of giving thanks is remembering all those who are going through difficult times. It’s what keeps our gratitude more than just a fleeting moment. I would dare say without personal gratitude, it’s even hard to acknowledge the difficulties others experience because we are grousing and complaining about our own petty concerns.
A grateful heart is a heart that easily sees the pain of others. A grateful heart is a loving heart.
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It’s also what reminds us that gratitude is not to be taken for granted. There will be times, a grateful heart will have to be uncovered from a pile of worry. And the more we wait, the pile gets higher and higher and we have to dig down deeper and deeper.
But that’s when gratitude is even more important. It’s what keeps grounded and tethered to God. By having a grateful heart, we open the door to peace and freedom from worry.
Gratitude is important to answered prayer.
God bless and have a great day.
