“The Power of Thankfulness” by Joan Y. Edwards

Thankfulness is powerful. Thankfulness gives you a chance to receive more of what you are thankful for.

I think of the ten lepers that Jesus healed.  Only one came back and said, “Thank you.”

In your lifetime, I’ll bet there have been many times when you did something for another person and…they…never…said, “Thank you.” They may not have even given you a smile.

I know, I know. We shouldn’t do things just for the recognition. However, it is nice to receive thanks for the things we do, the things we give.

What do you do if people don’t say thank you? Do you chop off their heads? Do you refuse to help them next time? If you’re getting upset because no one said, “Thank you,” you need to change your reasons for doing things in the first place. In the second place, you can thank yourself. You can celebrate your willingness to help others even when they don’t say, “Thank you.” Thirdly, remember that God thanks you. He knows and appreciates everything you do to help His people.

When you sincerely thank people for what they do for you, you light up their lives. It’s possible that no one has ever shown them appreciation for all the work they do. Even if it’s a service you’ve paid for, it is a great thing to thank others for their service. When we are thankful for each thing we have, we set the good vibes to receive more.

When you are down, list in your mind or on paper, ten things for which you are thankful. It’ll change your emotions. Changing your thoughts, changes your emotions. Your emotions are the clues to your thoughts. Before long, you’ll be feeling better.

The want to control other people, events, and experiences seems a human thing. It’s definitely something I desire from time to time. I want to:

• Control the traffic.
• Control what my spouse does.
• Control what happens to my family and friends.
• Control my body.
• Control my mind.
• Control my experiences.

Goodness! Such stress. Does wanting and wishing for control do any good?

“No.” People still do what they feel best for them. Traffic keeps flowing in its own way. Good events and bad events still happen without my control, approval, or disapproval.

However, accepting myself and others creates a great deal of peace within me. Being thankful for others as they are, creates a great deal of wisdom of the unhealthy demands for perfection on my part and theirs.

In the movie, The Secret, Lee Brower tells about how he found a rock and said, “Every time I touch this rock I’m going to remind myself of how thankful I am for my life.” He shared his rock with a man from South America. The man asked Lee to send him some gratitude rocks. He sent him some from his neighborhood. The man from South America used these rocks to remind him to be thankful for the healing of his son. His son did heal. See the full text from the gratitude segment in The Secret: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jrp5Ri2GZ38

Here is Lee Bower’s story of how he started using a Gratitude Rock. Very touching story of how this helped him and his daughter through rough times.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVIWQt7LYu0&

Gratitude shifts your focus to love and peace.

No matter whether the person you helped or gifted is thankful, God remembers. The universe remembers. Some people call it, “Good Karma.”

• What goes around, comes around.
• What you do for or to others, comes back to you.
• When you think positive, you allow positive things to happen.
• When you think negative, you’re allowing or inviting negative things to happen.
• You reap what you sow. It’s like a boom-a-rang. What you send out, comes back to you.
• When you put only sad thoughts in your mind, sad thoughts come out, and more sad thoughts and sad events come in.
• When you judge others, you allow judgment to come back to you.

Your own thankfulness puts you in line to receive more of what you are thankful for.

• If you want more money, be thankful for the money you have and use it wisely.
• If you want more friends, be thankful for the friends you have and treat them nicely.
• If you want more food, be thankful for the food you have and use it in a healthy way.
• If you want more knowledge, be thankful for the knowledge you have and use it wisely.
• If you want a better job, be thankful for the job you have and do it well.
• If you want a better house, be thankful for the house you have and keep it well-maintained.
• If you want publication, be thankful for your gift of writing and for all publishers.

You can also be thankful for the gifts you want to receive and mention them as having been received. Show:

1. Gratitude for your published books.
2. Gratitude for your new house.
3. Gratitude for your friendships.
4. Gratitude for your good-paying job.
5. Gratitude for your customers.
6. Gratitude for the flowers, grass, and shrubs in your yard.
7. Gratitude for an abundance of rainfall.
8. Gratitude for your abundance of money.
9. Gratitude for your healthy body, mind, and spirit.
10. Gratitude for your education.

Being thankful helps you accept where and who you are in this particular place and time. A sense of gratitude pays off big time. A sense of gratitude grows with each utterance of thankfulness said aloud or in private. Here are things that like me, you might be thankful for:

What’s on your gratitude list?

Design something to help you remember to wake up being thankful. Put something on the table beside your bed. Right beside your glasses. Or put something in the bathroom beside your toothbrush. Or perhaps you’d like to put it on the breakfast table, or beside the coffee pot. The more times you’re thankful, the better off you will be. Choose a rock, plate, necklace, key chain, plaque, doll, flower, or other item as a symbol of your gratitude.

Use the power of thankfulness. Be thankful for your life. There is no one else like you. You are a blessing to our world. Thank you for being you.

Celebrate you
Never Give Up
Joan Y. Edwards

Copyright © 2012 Joan Y. Edwards