Have you ever given someone a gift that you were so excited about? Something
you knew they’d love, something to make their life better or easier? You chose it with care. You gave it with excitement.

And then… flatline.

They received it with an unenthusiastic thank you that made you wonder if they even liked it. Or worse, they complained about it. It wasn’t what they asked for. Or the right color. Or the right time.

Maybe it made you wonder. It makes me wonder, too.

I wonder if this is how God feels about the abundance of gifts that He gives us every day. Things that make our lives easier, like running water and food in our bellies. Like air-conditioning or a car to drive. And laughter, hugs, and people who love us. Like sitting in the inspiring realization of all that God is. Of all that Jesus did. Of all that is good in a world that can feel so big and bleak and dark.

Today is a great day to sit with this. It’s World Gratitude Day, which points us toward the practice of giving thanks daily, something researchers have discovered brings an array of benefits. Grateful people tend to be healthier, live longer, have better relationships, do more good in the world, and more.

World Gratitude Day is a start, but it’s not enough. Gratitude is worthy of every day. That means shifting from drive-through thanks-giving with its quick list-making and obligatory, rushed thank yous to slowing way down to savor the gourmet feast of counting blessings. To let every good thing settle in your soul as you fully recognize your good fortune and lift thanks to the One and the ones who gave it.

It means pausing, the way you do when you soak in a breathtaking sunset, then uttering a grand thank you for the BIG little things - the breath you take, your eyes that see, the legs that carry you, the people you love. Sit deep in it - even for five minutes. Even in the hard times, which are when we need goodness most of all.

This is a good day to start.