Aarinola
Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! Psalms 107:15. The Psalmist’s tone in this verse with the use of Oh, shows various emotions to compel men to give thanks to God.
Why you need gratitude
I have often thought that gratitude is a way of psyching oneself to stay positive, hopeful and optimistic in life. Gratitude is not a way to stay hopeful and see things from the bright side. It is one of the ingredients needed to stay healthy in life, just as Calcium is needed for good and healthy bones. Gratitude is a requirement for a healthy life. Absence or deficiency of it will show up in every aspect of our life. No wonder the Psalmist made a rhetorical statement of this in Psalms 107:15 “Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!” It is a good practice to give thanks to God Psalms 92:1.
Ingratitude damages productivity if allowed to foster in a life. A typical example is the Israelites. Our fathers in Egypt did not understand nor appreciate Your miracles; They did not remember the abundance of Your mercies nor imprint Your loving kindnesses on their hearts, But they were rebellious at the sea, at the Red Sea…Psalms 106:7. Another translation says “…they gave no thoughts to your miracles” while another translation says they took your miracles for granted… no wonder their lives were up and down. Below are some results of ingratitude in a life.
Consequences of Ingratitude
Futile Mind: We give definition to things and interpret situations through our minds. How we see things basically is determined by how our mind interprets it. Ingratitude clouds the mind. It shuts down the flow of openness to God and cause us to see things wrongly through a clouded mind. Romans 1:21 says “although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Take for granted syndrome: Ungrateful people take others and things around them for granted. This breaks relationships as no one like to be taken for granted. Ingratitude will leave you broken and with yourself alone, even God will leave an ungrateful person. Therefore, God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts… Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts… Romans 1:24,26
It stops the inflow of more: Ingratitude will short circuit the inflow of the blessings in a life and makes someone to be stale. Although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened Romans 1:21.
We need gratitude to forge ahead and win in life. Gratitude is not just to stay positive, but it is required to help us enjoy life. Be a grateful person. Always express gratitude even when things are not going the way you planned. If you constantly appreciate the little things in your life, more doors of opportunities will be opened to you and you will be able to move forward and live a health life.
