Appreciate: expressing gratitude, show of respect, admiration, an attitude of thankfulness
Appreciation is easy when life is good, difficulties are few, and we are where we want to be in life. Even then, humans are apt to be unable to recognize the people, opportunities, holy interventions, or optimum timing of life that poured into their happy little world, leaving thoughts of appreciation buried under self. So, if it’s difficult to be thankful in good seasons of life, how are we at showing appreciation in the hard seasons? I dare say even worse. Humans, we need to do better.
The journey through this life is like a roller coaster. Every life starts out slow and steady, builds suspensefully, goes uphill to a beautiful plateau, then nosedives downhill to hell, perhaps a curve or several are thrown in, then it’s slow and steady to end. Wow, what a ride.
For each of these highs, lows, mountain tops, and valleys, there’s a lesson to learn and a holy purpose to it all. Each life on earth is faced with mountain top happiness and the depths of despair differently. Figuring yours out as you soar on the winds of success and happiness as well as when (not if) your world comes crashing down takes initiative, effort, tenacity, and, you guessed it, appreciation.
We must learn to be appreciative of the good times so that we can dig down deep and find the same gratitude amid the hard times. Some people only thank God during the good parts of life and ignore Holy while in the throes of difficulties. God loves us every minute of every day and night, whether we sense it or not. Sometimes the lessons are painful
Starting today. Ask yourself who you need to show appreciation to for helping you either get to where you are or is helping you through the depths of a tangled mess. Then follow through and let them know. Give thanks to God, always. It will change your perspective on how you live life.
Give thanks in all circumstances… 1 Thessalonians 5:18