Psalm 136:1 “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.”
There are many things I tried to pass on to my children. But probably one of the most important: front-load your days with gratitude. According to the dictionary, front-loading occurs when you allocate most of your efforts, costs, etc. at the beginning of a process or enterprise. I wanted my kids to know that every 24 hours they have the opportunity to begin the enterprise of living a new day by allocating thankfulness in their “efforts.”
Holocaust survivor and psychiatrist Viktor Frankl, in his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, writes “Whatever circumstances we find ourselves in, the last of the freedoms that can never be taken from us is the freedom to choose how we respond to the situation.” Because Frankl chose optimism, he was able to endure the horrors of the holocaust. We, too, have the freedom, even in the most difficult of circumstances, to look for something that merits thankfulness.
For example, I know a woman who is fighting two types of cancer in her body. Her focus on all the things she’s grateful for is transforming a devastating circumstance into a thing of beauty and hope. Another man recently lost his battle with the disease, but as long as he still had breath, he woke up every morning thanking God for another day. He died in peace and with dignity.
Psalm 136 encourages us to thank God because of his goodness, his power, and his provision. The psalmist recounts how God worked miracles in creation. How he delivered Israel from bondage and gave them victory over enemies. And not by accident, His love endures forever follows each reason for thanksgiving.
Gratitude and love connect at the hip. You simply can’t have one without the other. Each virtue reinforces the other.
That’s why I believe one of life’s greatest lessons includes starting our days with gratitude. We begin with expressing thankfulness for the little graces of everyday living. A good night’s rest, a timely song on KLOVE, a hot fudge sundae. Gratitude leads to love. And nothing surpasses the significance of loving God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind (Luke 10:27). Love is the ultimate goal.
And front-loading our days with gratitude will help us get there.