Did you know that one of the best prayers we can ever speak is a prayer of gratitude? When struggling with the world around us, situations can turn around by making gratitude our prayer. Maybe that sounds a bit simplistic, but let me share more.
I spent too many years feeling and acting like a victim. I’m not proud of that, but it was true.
It wasn’t until I met and married my husband that I learned that no matter what may happen in life, there is always something to be grateful for. He reminded me that in the scheme of life, we in America are much more privileged and ‘wealthy’ than a lot of people in the world. To be honest, it took a while for me to embrace that concept fully.
Little did I know that gratitude would get me through the worst times in my life.
Most of my readers know that making gratitude my prayer helped me get through our house burning down in 2020. Who would have thought I could be grateful through a fire that destroyed nearly everything we owned?
Maybe that works well during times of great tragedy, but how about when little things continue to get us down?
For most of us, life has changed over the last four or more years. The steady chipping away at our peace of mind can be challenging. Through all of this, I remember to make gratitude my prayer.
In Meister Eckhart’s words, “If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, ‘Thank you,’ that would suffice.”
Personally, I am prone to bouts of depression during the short, cold days of winter (yay for daylight savings time!). Outside conditions and circumstances affect me more deeply during the winter months.
But once again, gratitude prayers relieve my depression. Even in the wee hours of the night, when I can’t sleep due to some minor distress, I remember what I am grateful for and make that my prayer.
Look around you! Things may not be going your way, but the sun comes up every morning, the birds sing (at least now they are again), and the animals (wild or domestic) are up and around. We have been on the earth long enough to know and remember that all things pass in time. While they are passing, we can make gratitude our prayer — thanking Spirit for any and every little thing we can think of.
If you are struggling with depression or hopelessness, please search your mind and surroundings for something good to be grateful for. Let’s make it a habit of making gratitude our prayer.