Practicing Gratitude?

    One of the Bible's more challenging teachings urges us to be "always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 5:20)  When tragedy strikes, or life hands you heartbreak or disappointment, it's not easy to find something to be thankful about.  But those who do "practice gratitude" say it's helped them through all kinds of rough spots. Example: an acquaintance told me about re-reading prayer journals she kept in 2001. During that time, she was going through a divorce, struggling financially and battling with her daughter, but still found ways to give thanks in her written prayers.  In retrospect, she tells me, she realized that gratitude helped her survive that dark year.  "I always thought God asked us to be grateful because we 'should' thank Him," she said.  "But he does it for us. By being thankful, we can keep going. It gives us strength and hope for the future, to know that whatever troubles you face are not going to go on forever." I'm working on a story on "practicing gratitude" for our 11-20 issue. Do you have a personal story of the power of gratitude? Or a favorite author who addresses the topic of gratitude with particular insight?  If so, drop me an email: mjacobs@umr.org. I'd be grateful.