"Gratitude: It is the key that turns problems into blessings and the unexpected into gifts"
Pam Grout
In the previous post, gratitude was mentioned as one of the bases of Christmas. In such a way that in some countries (the United States, Canada, Israel, among others), the celebration that opens the Christmas season is based on being grateful, this is Thanksgiving. This gives us an idea of how important and relevant the feeling of gratitude is to human beings. However, unfortunately, gratitude has always been something that costs a lot to put into practice because human beings by nature are not grateful. Man tends to not value what he has as it should be valued. Therefore, regrettably, gratitude is so many times left aside. Nevertheless, Christmas comes to remind and encourage us to make gratitude a lifestyle.
The paradigm of merit
Commonly being thankful is conceived of as thanking someone after that person has done something good for us. In short, we thank those who deserve it, according to our judgment because we decide with whom we are grateful and with whom we are not. Basically, within this model gratitude is limited to a specific action towards someone specific at a particular moment. The problem is that this conception is selfish and limited, and yes, it may sound difficult to accept and probably many will not agree with me. But actually, gratitude does not follow a model of merit. For this reason, we should be grateful to all people regardless of the intention of their actions. In addition to giving thanks for the material things that are part of our lives while we are on earth.
However, the question that arises is Why? What tells me that I have to be grateful for everything that happens to me? Even this question becomes bigger when we know that being grateful is not an obligation.
An undeserved gift
The essence of Christmas is a gift that humanity received undeservedly. God in his greatest show of love gave us his son Jesus, without man being able to do something to deserve it. This completely breaks with the paradigm of merit, even leaves this idea without arguments. Humanity has now received something for which it has not made merits, something that cannot be equaled, much less paid for. So, being God all that He is, Who are we to judge who we are or are not grateful to? When God Himself says that even with all your mistakes, I am good to you. Here is the answer to the questions asked above.
Gratitude as a way of life
Gratitude now goes from something that was thought to be specific to something permanent. An attitude of bliss and happiness for all that we have, including the gift that God gave us, nature, the people who are part of our life, the good and the bad that happen to us, because all this makes us who we are today and being alive right now is enough to be grateful.
Living in gratitude is thanking the people who are good to you directly or indirectly. Directly as it can be someone who does you a favor or indirectly as the bus driver, both people do good things for you. On the other hand, we must also feel grateful for those who offend us and the bad things that happen to us because from those people and moments we can learn a lesson, and why not? Initiate actions that generate positive changes like breaking a vicious circle or creating new opportunities for others, among other things. Gratitude is a decision, you decide to be grateful for what you have and what you are. Knowing that then you can grow and aspire to better things for your life.
One of the things that fascinate me about being grateful is that it brings you so many more positive feelings like calmness, joy, and kindness. It is simple, gratitude makes us feel better about ourselves and others.
Finally, perhaps at the moment when things happen to us, we do not think that we can be grateful for that, or we simply forget to give thanks for what we have, it is just normal. But Christmas reminds us that gratitude always has a place. This is why I encourage you to make gratitude your lifestyle. Besides, even in the most difficult moments, have in mind that those experiences will bring you a lesson and that is a reason to be grateful.
If you liked the post, I thank you very much if you share it with your friends and family, so more people can enjoy this blog. I would love to read your thoughts on this topic, so let me your comments down below. I wish you a good week, see you! ❤
⬅️Part 1
December 7
Part 3 ➡️
December 21