Gratitude, a spiritual force

[toad]

“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought, and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.”
G. K. Chesterton

Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad;
Let them say among the nations, “The LORD reigns!”
Let the sea resound, and all that is in it;
Let the fields be jubilant, and everything that is in them!
Then the trees of the forest will sing,
They will sing for joy before the LORD,
1 Chronicles 16:31-33 NIV

Gratitude works for me. I never realized how important gratitude was until I was a couple of years in recovery. At first I didn’t have a name for the awareness and joy that I was experiencing, but it was gratitude. I used to take the word gratitude for granted. When someone would speak of gratitude I would just let it slip through my mind and pass it off as just another word for thanks. Today I realize that gratitude is a spiritual force that enables me to continue in my direction of recovery even though the road is at times is not easy. Being grateful for all that God has done for and with me, is what keeps me from turning back to my old life style. I am a grateful recovering alcoholic and drug addict because there was an avenue of escape that opened to me through the reading of the Word. I am grateful for having an understanding church and church family. I am grateful for the programs of AA and NA. I am grateful for those who like myself walked this path and shinned the light back so that I could see my way. I am grateful for a family that did not put up with my nonsense, and when I came to my senses, love me like nothing had ever happened. I am grateful for those who allow me to send them this small page as part of my own daily time of devotion to God. But most of all I am grateful for a loving God that forgave me, and allows me to start new everyday. “Give thanks unto the LORD; for His mercy endureth for ever” (1 Chronicles 16:34 KJV). God’s mercy will outlast anything and everything. That is reason to be very grateful. God truly has done for me what I could not do for myself………………..JRE

“The forgiveness of others is the vestibule of Heaven, and Jesus knew it, and has led us to the door. You must forgive everyone who has ever hurt you if you want to be forgiven yourself; that is the long and short of it. You have to get rid of all resentment and condemnation of others, and, not least, of self-condemnation and remorse. You have to forgive others, and having discontinued your own mistakes, you have to accept the forgiveness of God for them too, or you cannot make any progress. You have to forgive yourself, but you cannot forgive yourself sincerely until you have forgiven others first. Having forgiven others, you must be prepared to forgive yourself too, for to refuse to forgive oneself is only spiritual pride.”
EMMET FOX

[cmc]

I am grateful for those who allow me to send them this small page as part of my own daily time of devotion to God.

And what so many miss is exactly this, toad!!!! Thanks for a reminder of what a good attitude consists of! Too many times I have taken so many things for granted- tangible and intangible things. There is a verse that applies.
Pr. 10:12 "Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all transgressions."
IMO the forgivness you shared about leads to gratitude, and paves the way for love to be expressed.
thanks toad!