Gratitude

Sing to the Lord with grateful praise.
- Psalm 147:7

Today is perhaps the largest shopping day of the year. Of course there’s plenty of good in shopping - buying food to cook, gifts to share, etc. are all necessary and helpful. But many times we shop because we lack contentment, and we look around for something to fill the need in our hearts.

One way to help keep our shopping healthy is to keep in mind gratitude. As the old saint, Thomas Merton writes in his book Thoughts in Solitude:

Gratitude takes nothing for granted, is never unresponsive, is constantly awakening to new wonder, and to praise of the goodness of God. For the grateful person knows that God is good, not by hearsay but by experience. And that is what makes all the difference.

Today, spend time giving thanks for God’s goodness, for what you have, for what you don’t have, and for the people in your life.