GRATITUDE

What a strange thing gratitude is.
The more things you get the less grateful you are.
The less you have the more grateful you are.
The less you have to do the less you appreciate the time off.
The more you do the more any break means to you.

To reach heaven we must have gratitude. What makes it hard is God gives us everything and if we really are good we will get all He has. He has promised it. Ironic isn't it.

Here is the key. He gives us what we need and somehow what we don't need stays out of sight until we show gratitude for what we have. We show gratitude by how we use and take care of what we are given.

Today I had a lesson in gratitude. My landlord who gets more than 50% of my wage was unwilling to visit the property to do needed maintenance more than three times in a year, threatening to raise the rent.

I on the other hand was grateful that his family was safe and his house was not damaged in the storm.

Today, I read how God expects us to forgive: He said, "...and as oft as thine enemy repenteth of the trespass wherewith he has trespassed against thee, thou shalt forgive him, until seventy times seven.." and for those who don't repent he said to patiently forgive three times.

I think I'll go repent now; it's hard to be patient.