Thursday, November 19, 2009

Overwhelmed with thankfulness and gratitude




Cheryl Wyatt here,

I heard a recent message on thankfulness and the teacher mentioned that there is a slight difference in gratitude and thankfulness. I don't think I ever caught what that was because I had to get up and leave the room for something important, but anyway, I woke up pondering that today.

Maybe one has more to do with choosing to be joyful despite circumstance. Maybe one has more to do with trusting God over circumstance. Gratitude might be a state of being. Thankfulness might be a minute by minute, day by day, event by event choice.

Maybe they both just have to do with remembering.

I'm not sure. I'd love to hear your take on it, whether you think there is a difference in gratitude and thankfulness...and if so, what that might be.

In the meantime, here's what I'm most thankful for today:

In God's promises
God's protection
God's provision
God's guidance
People around me who pray
My family
My home
A dog who is potty trained
Convenience
I'm mostly free and clear of pain for the first time in 7 years thanks to a tissue donor.
I'm thankful for the person's choice to donate their organs and tissue
I'm thankful to remember to pray for that person's family and wonder if they know how their loved one's donated bone turned my life around.
I'm thankful for God making doctors smart enough for that kind of medical breakthrough.
I'm thankful that I have enough of everything I need and even what I want.
I'm glad that God knows what I need even more than I do.
I'm glad that God is in control.
I'm glad that I still have my mom and dad and my grandmothers.
I'm glad to be able to write for Steeple Hill and for the advice of my sister authors.
I'm glad that God is trustworthy and that he hears our prayers and know what we need even before we ask.
I'm glad that he does things for us that we don't even know we need.

I'm just glad. I could list a million things I'm thankful for and that would just be today.

For now, I'd love to hear your take on thankfulness and gratitude.

Blessings this thanksgiving season.

Cheryl Wyatt

3 comments:

Project Journal said...

Hey Cheryl!
First of all - LOVE the new cover : ) It's really great!!!

Okay now the thankfulness, gratitude thing. I think that the expression "Thank you" has been so overused that it doesn't necessarily mean what it used to. If you show gratitude, however, it seems so different, so much more than just thankfulness. I, personally, think that part of it is the actual word. I'm not sure, but I think that you'll know what I mean : )
Happy Thanksgiving, if I don't talk to you again before then(however, I'm sure I will!) : )
Hannah

Sheila Deeth said...

You've certainly got my braincells working, but I haven't come up with a difference yet. Thanks is different, but thankfulness is more permanent, like gratitude. Happy Thanksgiving anyway.

Cheryl Wyatt said...

Great thoughts! Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving!
Cheryl