Gratitude is About Noticing the Simple Pleasures of Life

Metropolitan

May 20, 2019

Life is full of so many blessings. The question is: Do we take time to notice and acknowledge them as we go about our daily lives, or do we take them for granted? Pause for a moment and imagine losing even a few of the things that often seem so “normal.” Suddenly you can’t walk. You can’t hear. Your car is stolen. Your family and friends are taken away. Your reputation and abilities are gone.

Now imagine, one by one, you get all those things back!

There is so much to be thankful for. If you took a sheet of paper and started writing down the ways God has, in His mercy, shown grace to you—preserving and keeping and sustaining you—I think you would be surprised.

Gratitude is about noticing the simple pleasures of life, living as though everything is a miracle and being constantly aware of what you have been given. It is being conscious of abundance, not of lack. It is looking at the nine good emails, not the one bad one.

We can learn from David, who exhorts himself in Psalm 103 not to forget all the blessings he has been given: “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases” (Psalm 103:1-3).

This week, I encourage you to be intentional and look for the little things around you that make you happy. It’s really amazing, when you start to think about it. Below is a poem I wrote about some of these things I’m grateful for in my own life.

Little Things I Like . . .

Tea in a clean glass
An old watch that runs
Tiny roadside tea shop
Thoughts that make me happy

Telephone that works
Fountain pen
Blue-black ink
Books with short stories

Winding roads with trees on both sides
Tiny birds that sing in the morning
A candle when the lights go out
A sincere smile

People who tell me when I am wrong
Preacher who doesn’t scream and shout
Real flowers
A story that has a good end

Friendship not for benefit
A word of thanks
Friendly old people
Village children

Driving alone
Late-night omelet at a street shop
The thought of seeing you again
Clothes that feel comfortable next to my skin

Words of forgiveness
Intelligent people who are simple
Simplicity that is authentic
Hearing, “I love you too”

Questions that make me think
Answers that I don’t have to give
Listening more than talking
Asking myself, “What if I were in their shoes?”

Leaves that dance in the breeze
Tears of joy
Touch of love
Listening to you

Sound of silence
Sunset in summer
Sitting alone in bed
when I pray for you