Gratitude is a powerful thing. Or perhaps more accurately, gratitude is an empowering thing. Having an attitude of gratitude is wonderful. It’s so easy to be fixated on gaps or our faults. But our perspective certainly changes when we start to focus on things to be grateful for.
I can tell you that when you intentionally look for opportunities to be thankful then they will never run out.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”(Galatians 5:22-23)
![Love[1]](https://fayannswearing.files.wordpress.com/2019/03/love1.jpg?w=625)
As I ponder the nine attributes of the fruit of the spirit I have concluded that the first evidence or fruit of the Holy Spirit residing in you, the first fruit love, is one that pretty much sums up the whole bible.
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17
The true evidence that you are truly a new creation is that you live your life for Jesus Christ and not yourself. In order for us to be able to look like and act like Jesus on the outside, first we must become like Him on the inside.
We are called to imitate God in our daily living. Can the world smell the fragrance of Christ and see him in our lives?
“Ye shall know them by their fruits. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them” Matthew 7:16 & 20.
It is easy to say that we are Christians, however, the truth is, our character, not our tongues will reveal who we really are.
As Christians, our character should be like Christ’s character. We are to strive to be like Jesus.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”
You may notice that the word, “fruit,” is in the singular number. There is only one fruit of the Spirit, but it contains nine virtues. If one of the virtues is missing then we do not have the fruit of the Spirit.
Having an attitude of gratitude is important because it helps us to see the bright side of life. I believe if we are grateful for everything big or small our actions have a positive impact.
Gratitude and appreciation go hand in hand. It is a mind managing tool which has the power to change how we feel about a certain situation. It also helps to set our goal and achieve them in the right manner.
No matter how bad the situations around you are, you can always choose to respond positively. Being grateful makes you look at the world through positive lens. We are surrounded by so many blessings, it is easy to overlook the multitude of little things God gives every day. Let us not take things for granted but be grateful even for simple things.
We all have the ability and opportunity to choose our perspective. I choose to be grateful. There are a lot of benefits that come from cultivating an attitude of gratitude.
I have come to realize that gratitude is cultivated and practiced rather than achieved and it has the power to change one’s life. There is a distinctive feeling associated with gratitude; a kind of awe, indescribable and beyond expression. When I am immersed in true gratitude it is one of the most powerful experiences I have ever had. It is so overwhelming it almost always brings me to tears.
Practicing gratitude and appreciation is probably one of the highest returns on investment of any action we can take. It costs us nothing and creates incredible energy and impact. Learning to be grateful helps to increase our well-being.
