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Growing Gratitude

For from him and through him and for him are all things. —Romans 11:36

George Herbert, a seventeenth-century British poet, encouraged readers toward being thankful in his poem “Gratefulness.” “Thou that hast given so much to me, give one thing more: a grateful heart.”

The Bible declares Jesus as the source of all blessing: “For from him and through him and for him are all things” (Romans 11:36). “All things” encompasses both the extravagant and the everyday gifts in our lives. Everything we receive comes directly from God (James 1:17), and He willingly gives us those gifts out of His love.

To expand my awareness of God’s blessings in my life, I’m learning to cultivate a heart that acknowledges the source of all the joys I experience each day, but especially the ones I often take for granted. Today those included a crisp morning to run, the anticipation of an evening with friends, a stocked pantry so I could make French toast with my daughters, and the beauty of the world outside my window.

What is the “so much” that God has given to you? Opening our eyes to those blessings will help us to develop grateful hearts.

Lisa Samra