The attitude of gratitude

I've just taken an assembly at Manor High School with a harvest thanksgiving theme. I explained the roots of the harvest festivals which have been part of the calendar of churches for centuries. And then I talked about gratitude.

I'm convinced that gratitude, simply being thankful, is one of the secrets to a happy and purposeful life. In a culture satiated with so much stuff, we still manage to find things to complain about and so much more to want. Being thankful for what we have may seem naive or corny but it's a vital attitude. Too much desire and insufficient thankfulness is a recipe for a driven, grey and miserable life.

For a while now, I've woven little thanksgiving rituals into my day. Sometimes I pour a glass of cool, clean water and cherish the sheer gift of it. I wake up and give thanks for a good night's sleep and the warmth and security of a safe and loving home. Before I sleep, I count my blessings - identifying the big and the very small mercies for which I'm grateful. The results of these little thanksgivings have been quite dramatic - I find that observing them makes me less fretful, more rested and let's me sleep much better. Being quietly thankful to God makes a big difference in making me calm, bringing perspective and increasing my awareness of the needs of others, especially those who don't have the basic necessities.

One of my favourite half-verses is from Colossians 3.15. In a beautiful series of invitations to good and gracious living Paul adds this three-word sentence: "And be thankful." It's one of the most important sentences in the bible.