I believe gratitude should play an important role in our lives. I think it’s essential to thank God for all the blessings in our lives. Each day we have so much in front of us that we often take for granted – a new day on the earth, a roof over our heads, food to eat, and even the air that we breathe. There are many people in the world who did not wake up this morning, who do not have a home to call their own, who cannot afford to buy groceries, or who cannot even breathe on their own.

It’s also vital to say “thank you” to the people around us. We should thank our spouse for making coffee in the morning, thank our child for helping clean up the house, thank the coworker who helped with a project, and thank the stranger who held the door when entering a building. Those two words can express so much. They can tell someone that they matter. They can brighten someone’s day. And they ultimately can send a bit a God’s love out into a hurting world.

Another key aspect of gratitude is keeping a gratitude journal. Every night I write down at least five things that I am thankful for. After a hectic day, I find this to be a very peaceful process. Looking back on my day, no matter what happened, even if I had a bad day, I can always find things that went right. I can always find things to be thankful for. If I wasn’t intentional about gratitude, I would miss many blessings in my life.

Obviously gratitude is very meaningful to me. In fact, I even wrote a book on it! (Every Day is a Gift.)

However, I recently discovered that not everyone has this same opinion. I suppose I can understand someone being neutral to gratitude, if they never attempted to practice it before. But I recently heard someone say something against gratitude which shocked me. The person said that when we say “thank you” too much, we appear to be insincere! This statement was not directed towards me specifically. She said it in general to a room full of people. Yet even though it was not meant for me, in a way, it still hurt.

I disagree with what this person said. I truly believe we should thank the people around us for the kind gestures they do, no matter how small. And we should thank God for all the things He does for us, each and every day.

I’m curious, what is your opinion? Do you agree with the lady who said that saying “thank you” too much makes us seem insincere? Or do you believe expressing gratitude to God and our loved ones is important?

(Photo by Dominik Gwarek.)