Appreciation
Jul 21, 2016
I was riding a bus to church for Vacation Bible School (VBS). Closer to transfer station, I see a lady with her car door open. To alert her, the bus driver honked the horn. She shuts the door and sticks out her middle finger. She could have been hit by the bus and/or had the door off the hinge if he did not honk the horn.
It is the same thing with God. God saved us from sin by sending His son Jesus on the cross, and yet most of us do not thank Him. God wakes us up again, do you thank Him for that? He provides you with food, do you thank Him? For everything God has done in your life, do you thank Him? Or do we just continue through the day without showing appreciation for what He or someone else did for you?
Trust me when I say that appreciation can go a long way. Show it and you will see what I mean.
Originally published at http://itshardbeingachristian.wordpress.com on July 21, 2016.
New Oxford American Dictionary defines appreciate as:
1) recognizing full worth
2) being grateful
3) understanding fully
Let’s say someone (friend, family, coworker, etc.) gave you a new pair of socks (or whatever you get enough of or something you don’t like) as a gift. Although it’s just a pair of socks, recognize that the person took time to buy it for you. Be grateful for the gift for other people may not have access to it and understand that it might have been the only thing she/he could think of to give you.
It’s easier said than done, I know. I’m trying to do it myself. I have come to recognize that complaining took more energy out of me, plus I felt like a sack of dead weight. I have seen lots of videos, YouTube and TikTok being my main sources, about changing the way you think about things and situations. The common theme is using the conjunction “but” when thinking of complaining.
I’ll give you some of my examples. Not a fan of the cold weather, but I appreciate the sunshine during cold weather. I don’t like the size of my room, but I have a room and a bed to sleep in. I hate that I can’t open my mouth at all, but I can still eat every day, just differently.
Try to see the better side of things. I’m still keeping at it. I can tell you that it does make a difference in how your day goes. Might make others feel better too.
Original post https://medium.com/@cs.doublet/appreciation-2016-2023-f7eaa39ff41