Gratitude

Gratitude is a sense of thankfulness and joy in response to receiving a gift whether the gift be deserved or not, whether it is a concrete object or an abstract gesture of kindness. Gratitude can be a moment of at oneness that is evoked in the presence of natural beauty or in the silence of the soul, a moment when the world—with both its abundance and its challenges—makes perfect sense, when its gifts can be seen and appreciated in whatever wrappings they come in. Gratitude can also be a conscious, rational choice to focus on life’s blessings rather than on its shortcomings.

it can developed into a spiritual practice to create a positive outlook on life. It is a feeling, a moral attribute, a virtue, a mystical experience, and a conscious act, all in one. Gratitude is a universal human experience that can be either a random occurrence of grace or an attitude chosen to create a better life. There are times that gratitude comes over us as a wave— lifting us higher than we can normally stand, then setting us back down on our feet after bringing us closer to God (ALLAH). At other times it is our companion during our darkest moments, causing us to be grateful for the good in the midst of tragedy, encouraging us to believe that good can come even when we cannot understand our own suffering or the suffering of others.

How we can learn to express and experience gratitude depends on our personal religious perspective, our psychological makeup, and our level of awareness. The process begins with awareness that we have a choice. The next step requires a necessary stillness within ourselves so we can do the internal work of being grateful. Then the feeling of gratitude becomes a conscious attitude and is expressed through our actions. There is a paradoxical aspect to gratitude as well: the more grateful we are, the more reasons we have to be grateful. This knowledge can create a shift from gratitude as a response to gratitude as an attitude, as a receptive state that allows blessings to flow in. For a person who has religious or spiritual beliefs, this attitude brings about a relationship with the Divine, the source from which all good comes. We gratefully recognize that the gift of life comes from the Creator and respond with humility, awe, and recognition of how blessed we are to have the opportunity to learn, grow, love, create, share, and help others.

From the book of Robert A.Emmons and Joanna Hill