Article November 22, 1975 Issue

Gratitude Is Action

CLARA HAGENLOCHER

Gratitude is a God-derived grace we all need to express more. Yet it is one that many people think they already do fully express. If, in endeavoring to help a friend over a rough spot, one recommends gratitude to God as helpful, the response is apt to be, "But I am grateful!" But many of us have a long way to go before we can honestly say this.

The phrase "I am grateful" is one that the Christian does not use lightly. Much more than a polite "Thank You," gratitude to God involves active response to the blessings He pours out to us.

If our concept of gratitude is general rather than specific, it is likely to be abstract and theoretical rather than demonstrably practical. In other words, true gratitude involves much more than the assumption that one is basically grateful. Gratitude, being a God-derived quality, has its source, its essence, and its substance in divine Love. Gratitude is vital. It translates Love's qualities into action. It gets us loving, moving, doing. When we truly feel the gratitude we speak, we utilize the blessings we have already received from God, the divine Mind, and put into practice the qualities we have derived from Principle. This active proof of our gratitude to God for the good that He has given us brings even more of His blessings to light.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Poem

RAINY WEDNESDAY IN PARIS