GRATITUDE & APPRECIATION

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.”

Psalm 103:2 (KJV)

Gratitude is more than a feeling. It’s a discipline. A posture. A force that grounds your soul and opens the gates of increase.

When you pause to remember, to reflect, and to bless the Lord, not for what you’re hoping for, but for what He’s already done, you unlock something powerful. Gratitude multiplies what you honor. What you fail to appreciate slowly begins to slip from your hands.

Think about the ten lepers. All of them were healed. But only one returned to give thanks. And to him, Jesus didn’t just say “You’re healed.” He said, “Your faith has made you whole.”

(Luke 17:11-19)

Healing got him restored. Gratitude made him complete.

There’s something about gratitude that draws the hand of God. It shifts your perspective from what’s lacking to what’s lasting. And it silences the anxiety that comes from constantly striving. You don’t grow by grumbling. You grow by giving thanks.

Appreciation isn’t limited to God alone. Learn to express it toward people. Honor those who helped you get here. Celebrate those who stood with you in the shadows. Don’t be so focused on where you’re going that you forget who walked with you when no one else did.

Ungratefulness is a seed that chokes joy. It creates blindness to the blessings that are already around you. But when you become a person of thanksgiving, your eyes open. Your spirit softens. And your future begins to respond to your honor.

Gratitude doesn’t mean you stop dreaming,

It means you recognize how far you’ve come.

And from that place, you dream even bigger.

So take inventory.

Say thank you more often.

Appreciate every step, even the painful ones

Because it all worked together to bring you here.

Now bless the Lord for it,

And keep moving forward with a full heart!