"I do not cease to give thanks when remembering you in my prayers"
~Ephesians 1:16
I often find myself thinking about how grateful I am for the people in my life when they are not around. I can be at work, in a store or alone at home. Thought of how I appreciate them flood my mind. I make a mental note to "make sure I tell them later."
Feeling unappreciated is hard. It tears at our self worth. It makes us question our value and importance to others around us.
We pour our love and hearts into others and it often feels like ti goes without ever being acknowledged. Don't get me wrong. I have never felt we should do nice things for others just so we can get praise. That should NEVER be our motive.
But the truth is many of us have unexpressed gratitude toward someone that could benefit from hearing it and from feeling acknowledged.
Most of us feel extremely grateful. We just don't tell people. So, why do we struggle so much with expressing gratitude to others?
For me it is not because we have changed our mind, but because a million things come up before we ever get the chance and sometimes we honestly just forget. We just get caught up in life and forget to "slow our roll" enough to acknowledge the difference others make in our lives. But there are other reasons we sometimes neglect to express our gratitude to others.
BUT....
Other times I think we don't want to tell them because we are also aware of the ways they fall short in our eyes. We somehow think by telling them how grateful we are for them, we are overlooking the things they do that we don't like.
This next one is the one I struggle with the most. When we express our gratitude with someone it signifies that at come level we rely on them. And that can be really scary. I know because of my paSt, that it can be for me.
Finally, there are those who don't know how to express gratitude. Yep, that is what I said. This one is one that I honestly never considered until recently. I can even hear myself telling people in my life, "Why is it so tough for you to just tell someone you appreciate something they've done for you?" What I never considered is, it really is hard for them to express gratitude when it was never modeled for them before. Maybe that is you.
I don't know your why. But it is obviously a thing because so many people struggle with feeling like they aren't appreciate even though they are.
But there is hope! And it is SUPER easy to fix. We just need to take the time to tell those we love that we are grateful for them. It doesn't have to be difficult. Pick up the phone, or wall across the room and tell someone. Send a text. An email. Send a card. Be creative.
Let someone know you've noticed how they have made a difference or sacrificed for us and how it made a difference in your life. Recognize someone for how their helpfulness touched you. Express how you appreciate their consideration.
When we share with another person that we have seen their kindness, we speak life into their hearts.
Please hear me.....
Friends don't leave gratitude and thankfulness go unexpressed. Let it out. It will change you and it will change the person you share it with. Gratitude should be something we share on a regular basis with those around us. It should also be something we share on a regular basis with God.
Challenge yourself to be a Gratitude Giver...
Tell someone thank you
Tell someone you see them
Tell someone you love them
Tell someone you appreciate them.
The saddest thing would ne to look back one day and wish we'd have told someone just how grateful we were for them. Don't wait until it is too late and miss the opportunity to tell someone how what they did mattered in your life.
Let's Live with THANKFUL hearts!
