GRATITUDE

Gratitude... according to dictionary.com, gratitude is the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful. As I've begun to get excited about this year ahead of me, 2009, and my virtue... I've begun to realize that all things can stem from gratitude, if you have love. Love is first and foremost. But I feel as though, love is what has led me on this journey. And now, I want to see where love leads me, with gratitude.

If you stop and think about it, behind love, all things come from gratitude. If you truly appreciate and are grateful for someone, you will respect them. You will love them, be honest with them, show them you care, encourage them, help them, I could go on and on. If you are truly grateful for the amazing set of gifts that God has blessed you with, you will work hard, be resourceful, be open to learning, put your best effort into all you do... If you are truly grateful for an opportunity, you will want to see God use you and the situation to its fullest potential... you will be enthusiastic, passionate, prayerful, you will study, you will do your best, and trust God to do the rest. Any other virtue, can stem from gratitude, if mixed with love.

Honesty... if you truly value and are thankful for someone, you will be honest with them. Resourcefulness... if you are truly grateful for what you have been given, you will use your resources for God's Glory. Kindness... if you are truly appreciative of God's grace and love towards you, you will love your brothers and sisters with a kind heart. I could go on forever. A thankful and humble heart is the essence of true worship. And isn't that what our lives are? Worship. To our Father.

2009... is my year of gratitude.

Jesus, I give You this year. Lord I want to thank You, for the virtue of gratitude that You have laid on my heart. I ask that You would do whatever it takes, to change and mold me, so that my heart would be one of gratitude and love. I pray that I would learn to truly be grateful, for every gift, blessing, item, person, opportunity, and obstacle that You place before me. Your Word tells us that in all things, You work for the good of those who love You, and that is a promise we can rely on. I ask that this year, would be an amazing time of learning for me, Lord. I pray that those around me, would always know, from my words and actions, that I am thankful for them. That I am grateful for everything they do for me, whether they receive recognition or not. Lord I thank You for the ways You are working in me, even behind the curtains. Jesus I pray that I would become aware of the ways that I am so fortunate, and that You would break my heart, so that I would desire to share my blessings with my brothers and sisters in You. I thank You for my gifts... I ask that You will use them for Your Glory and Your Will. They are no longer mine. Nothing is mine. You are the Creator, who gave them to me, and I am simply returning them. The resounding prayer of my heart is that You will use me, do whatever You need to do, and make my heart one of gratitude and love. I give You this year. Lead me, dear Jesus. Give me faith and boldness, as You lead me out of my comfort zone. Take me to places that I would never imagine. Open doors. Give me words. Let the meditations of my heart, my words, and my actions be pure and pleasing. I desire for You, Your Word, Your Love, and gratitude to lead me. I trust You. I praise You. You are amazing. Amen!

GRATITUDE... lead on!