THE GIFT OF GRATITUDE

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Posted by: " Aseem Kaistha " vkaisthaa2002

Wed Jul 30, 2008 3:56 am (PDT)

 

THE GIFT OF GRATITUDE

 

Two old friends bumped into one another on the street one day. One of

them looked forlorn, almost on the verge of tears. His friend asked,

'What has the world done to you, my old friend?'

 

The sad fellow said, 'Let me tell you. Three weeks ago, an uncle died

and left me forty thousand dollars.'

 

'Wow! That's a lot of money.'

 

'But you see, two weeks ago, a cousin I never even knew died, and left

me eighty-five thousand free and clear.'

 

'Sounds like you've been blessed....'

 

'You don't understand!' the sad man interrupted. 'Last week my

great-aunt passed away. I inherited almost a quarter of a million.'

 

Now his friend was really confused. 'Then, why do you look so glum?'

 

'Well, this week... Nothing!'

 

And that's the trouble with receiving something on a regular basis.

 

Even if it is a gift, we eventually come to expect it. Someone once

suggested to me a way to test someone's character.

 

Give him (or her) $5 a day for a month. Then stop, and see what his

reaction is. The natural tendency is that if we receive a gift long

enough, we come to view it as an entitlement. We feel hurt, even

angry, if we don't receive it any longer.

 

It's the same way with the blessings God gives us every day.....the

comfortable home I live in, the beautiful scenery around me, the clean

water that I drink. But after receiving these gifts (and a multitude

of others) for years, I sometimes fail to be grateful. I've come to

expect these good things

 

And when one of them is removed for a short while (like the water

being cut off), I get upset. Make an effort today to recognize the

blessings you've come to take for granted.

 

Focus on what you have rather than on what you don't have, and see if

it doesn't improve your attitude.

 

Cultivate the gift of gratitude.