Dr. Jim Denison
I’ve noticed that the more essential my blessings, the more I tend to take them for granted. As the novelist Cynthia Ozick noted, “We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.”
For instance, without gravity, life on this planet would be impossible. Without a sun in the sky, we would soon freeze. Without air to breathe, we would quickly die. Each is a gift we cannot create but only receive. But when last were you grateful for any of them?
It can be the same with the blessings of God we’ve named today. Physical life, eternal life, and the joy of sharing eternal life with the world—each is our Father’s unmerited favor to us. Don’t let their familiarity dull their significance. Or the grace by which they are yours.
Tim Keller was right:
“It’s one thing to be grateful. It’s another to give thanks. Gratitude is what you feel. Thanksgiving is what you do.”
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” —John F. Kennedy
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