Elysia Principle #3: The Attitude of Gratitude
Saying Please and Thank You Says “I Love You” In Many Ways
Just as God loves a cheerful giver, He also loves a thankful heart. When you think about it, that makes perfect sense, because we love it when someone expresses gratitude for things we do for them.
In Elysia, acknowledgment of those who serve us and do us good is a core principle. An attitude of gratitude says ‘thank you’ to both God and man for the big and little things they do for us. It also helps us to concentrate on the good that is happening in our lives. Saying thank you goes a long way towards honoring those around us.
Be a realist in God, believe for the impossible!
Many people, under the guise of being a realist, focus on the negative aspects of life. They believe that “telling it like it is,” somehow protects them and others from disappointment. However, though we do not advocate saying things that are not true, we do believe that accentuating the good things in life is a better way to live.
Moreover, God desires to bless us and that is a fact, even if things seem difficult at any given time. Being the one person who says, at the Red Sea, “Yes Moses, God’s got this!” is a better mindset to have than those who cried,
“And they said unto Moses, Because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us, to carry us forth out of Egypt?”
Exodus 14:11
Expecting positive things in God is most often right
Declaring a thankful heart to others and to God is often true, because in a short while God does bless us. Isn’t it better to err on the side of faith and be proved right, than to be downhearted and be proved wrong?
Faith moves the hand of God. When we believe that He is able to deliver us, even though we see no natural way forward, it pleases God to make a way. Often, when things seem the worst, that is the precise time to lift your hands up and thank God. Jonah did that and just a short time later, he stood on dry land (though he probably stank to high heaven!).
An attitude of gratitude is the way forward
Being positive and thankful doesn’t mean that we will never have a down day. However, if in general we seek to be upbeat in God, then if someone is temporarily down, we can lift them up or even carry them through if they can’t manage it.
The truth is this,