Title Let's Raise the Gratitude Index
Contents
Hymn: 312 “Give me a strange world”
Meditation: You should keep increasing your gratitude index by repeating gratitude at all times.
Confession of Faith: Apostles' Creed
Text: “Give thanks to the Lord. He is good, and his mercy endures forever. Give thanks to God who is superior to all gods. His mercy is everlasting. Give thanks to the Lord who excels in every state. His mercy endures forever.” (Psalm 136:1 3)
I was on a cramped plane. A large foreigner was sitting next to me. The man struggled with not being able to straighten his legs properly. It was hard for me too. His arms and shoulders crossed over to me, so I had to sit crooked. The man ate with his left hand. So he kept bumping into me.
A question popped into my mind. “What will be my gratitude index now?” Then the text came to mind. “Give thanks to the Lord. His mercy endures forever.” I repeated the same thing several times. I felt much more at ease.
Psalm 136 repeats from beginning to end to give thanks. From beginning to end, we repeat that Jehovah's mercy is eternal. Through this repetition, we can increase our appreciation index. Of course, repeating unconditionally seems pointless. But think of it as an exercise. People who learn to sing repeat the commands, athletes repeat simple movements, and soldiers repeat movements that seem useless in practice. That's training. You cannot be used in your field without such training.
After World War II, Japanese naval officer Kiichi Kawagami returned to his homeland. The reality of Japan was so devastating that I couldn't see it with my eyes open. Every day he went through years of complaining and dissatisfaction. As this life continued, his body hardened and he was unable to move. A psychiatrist, Fuchida, gave him this prescription. “Say ‘thank you’ 10,000 times a day.”
He muttered “thank you” every day on the sickbed. One day his son handed him two persimmons. Kawagami reached out and said, “Thank you.” However, it is said that from then on, the body that had been hardened was healed and free from disease. Gratitude is a powerful medicine for human disease. Happiness comes in through the door of gratitude and goes out through the door of complaint. What happy people have in common is the fact that they always have an abundance of 'thanks'. Through repeated training, I hope that we can all live with the best gratitude in any situation.
Prayer: Help me to record the highest gratitude index by continuously giving thanks for everything anytime, anywhere. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Lord's Prayer