by Bruce G. Epperly<\/em><\/p>\nThirty years ago on July 5, our only son Matt was born. Today, as I ponder his birth and his journey from infancy to adulthood, and now to becoming a father himself in August, I am filled with gratitude.\u00a0 Meister Eckhardt once noted that if the only prayer you can make is \u201cthank you,\u201d that will be enough.\u00a0 And, I agree.\u00a0 Gratitude is the virtue of interdependence and connection, reminding us that what is best in life is a gift, not something we originated on our own and by ourselves but the result of the interplay of our creativity and the gift of life mediated through parents, friends, the environment, culture, our nation, and the divine who moves through all things.<\/p>\n
While gratitude is an all-season spiritual practice, it especially suits the easy-going spirit of summer since the primary requirement for gratitude is acknowledgement of the giftedness of life and those whose love and sacrifice has shaped our lives.<\/p>\n
In the Baptist church of my youth, we often sang:<\/p>\n
Count your blessings<\/p>\n
Name them one by one<\/p>\n
And it will surprise you<\/p>\n
What the Lord has done.<\/p>\n
Count your blessings<\/p>\n
Name them one by one<\/p>\n
Count your blessings<\/p>\n
See what God hath done.<\/p>\n
You don\u2019t have to do anything special to practice thanksgiving \u2013 simply pause and notice the gifts of life as a prelude to saying \u201cthank you.\u201d\u00a0 Or as the hymn says, \u201cCount your blessings.\u201d<\/p>\n
A pastor I know tells the story of one of his congregants \u2013 a woman in her eighties, who takes a walk through her neighborhood every day.\u00a0 In the course of her slow but steady half hour walk, she gives thanks to God for all the blessings of life.\u00a0 Her life has been, like most of ours, filled with joy and sorrow \u2013 she\u2019s a widow, she\u2019s struggled with aging, and the death of friends.\u00a0 But, in the course of her walks, she\u2019s never run out of things for which to be thankful.<\/p>\n
Thanksgiving is a way of relating to the world, both internally <\/em>in our recognition of the giftedness of life and our dependence upon others and relationally <\/em>in our willingness to say \u201cthank you\u201d to those who have made a difference or are making a difference in our lives.<\/p>\nPeriodically, I drop a note to a teacher or mentor, thanking them for their impact of their life on mine. \u00a0I make it a point to say \u201cthank you\u201d to store clerks, first responders, and colleagues at work.\u00a0 Your whole attitude toward life changes, even in challenging times, when you live by gratitude.<\/p>\n
In his spiritual journal Markings<\/em>, Dag Hammarskjold notes:<\/p>\nFor all that has been \u2013 thanks!<\/p>\n
For all that shall be \u2013 yes!<\/p>\n
Hammarskjold\u2019s words have been a motto for me: they remind me that openness to the future is grounded in gratitude for the past in both its joy and ambiguity.<\/p>\n
Simple acts of gratitude involve the interplay of contemplation and action. \u00a0Here are a few spiritual practices that will deepen your sense of gratitude and connection with life. \u00a0First, take a few minutes as the day begins to give thanks for the gift of life.\u00a0 Visualize the persons or situations for which you are thankful today as you ask God to give you a spirit of thanksgiving.\u00a0 Second, in the course of the day, make it a point to say \u201cthank you\u201d to persons with whom you interact.\u00a0 Third, think of one person who has made a difference in your life: if he or she is still living, take a moment to make a call or write a note. \u00a0If they are deceased, take time to thank a relative or God for their life. \u00a0Fourth, as the day ends, look back at the events of your day, giving thanks for goodness of the day and for God\u2019s presence in your life.\u00a0 In the course of the day, you may choose, in the spirit of the woman I mentioned earlier in this essay, to take a gratitude walk as a creative spiritual discipline.<\/p>\n
And, as you live by gratitude for the wonder of life, don\u2019t forget to give thanks for yourself.\u00a0 Take time to thank God for the wonder of your being and your unique life.\u00a0 With Hammarskjold remember:<\/p>\n
For all that has been \u2013 thanks!<\/p>\n
For all that shall be \u2013 yes!<\/p>\n
Bruce Epperly is Professor of Practical Theology and Director of Continuing Education at Lancaster Theological Seminary and co-pastor of Disciples Community Church in Lancaster, PA. He is the author of seventeen books, including Holy Adventure: 41 Days of Audacious Living<\/span> and Tending to the Holy: The Practice of the Presence of God in Ministry<\/span>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"“Meister Eckhardt once noted that if the only prayer you can make is \u201cthank you,\u201d that will be enough. And, I agree. Gratitude is the virtue of interdependence and connection, reminding us that what is best in life is a gift, not something we originated on our own and by ourselves but the result of the interplay of our creativity and the gift of life mediated through parents, friends, the environment, culture, our nation, and the divine who moves through all things.” Bruce Epperly reflects on the spiritual practice of saying “thank you.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-878","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n
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