Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to experience everyday epiphanies.
Gratitude changes me. Thankfulness helps me remember that everything I have is from God. He gives the gifts of faith, love, and even a sunny day in November. Gratitude definitely inspires reverence.
Milton also said gratitude allows us to experience epiphanies. My dictionary gives two definitions for epiphany:
- a moment when you suddenly see or understand something in a new way
- an appearance or manifestation, especially of a divine being
Thankfulness enables us to see our everyday lives in a new way. We can complain about snow on the ground or we thank God for its beauty. We can gripe about the toys all over the family room or be grateful the children in our lives that put them there.
Thankfulness helps us to “see” God. Of course, God is always with us. But our busy, messy lives often crowd out our awareness of Him. A small prayer of gratitude even in the midst of a chaotic morning is enough to “manifest” His presence to our spirits.
The apostle Paul wrote:
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
Colossians 3:15
Could it be that one way to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts is to be grateful? That as we stop to say thanks we push out a bit of discontent from our hearts and make room for peace?
This week is a national celebration of Thanksgiving. At overcrowded tables all over the country, people will stop to give thanks.
Let’s carry that attitude of thanksgiving throughout the year. As we do, we will see our lives in a new way. We will discover God in the mundane corners of our days.
Next step: This week, remember to thank God for the mundane and ordinary. Say a small prayer of gratitude and experience God’s transforming power.
