Gratitude usually comes easily when receiving a gift (assuming it’s a gift we want). When a friend shows kindness towards me, it is very easy to be consciously grateful for that friend. It is a sad reality that it is difficult to maintain consistent, conscious gratefulness for the people in our lives beyond the times they seem to most demonstrate kindness towards us.

Even more, it is hard to admit that the gratitude we do have is most often a result of what others have done for us. Paul gives us an example of gratitude worthy of pondering:

“I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given to you by Messiah Yeshua, that you were enriched in everything by Him in all utterance and all knowledge, even as the testimony of Messiah was confirmed in you, so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Messiah Yeshua…” -- 1 Corinthians 1:4–7, NKJV

I can truly say I am thankful to God for my fiancée, community, family, job, etc. It is much rarer for me to readily sense gratitude for what God has done in the lives of others I know. This may come in moments when witnessing a person engage in t’shuva (repentance), or when hearing a testimony of God’s provision. Nevertheless, I have been struck by my own poverty of awareness to even think to thank God for the fact that he has given gifts to those I know. It’s a little embarrassing!

I wonder what it would be like if I were grateful for more than only what I have, but also for what others have. Growth in gratitude to God for the gifts he has given others can only help us to be more grateful for him, not just what he has done for us. Furthermore, such an approach can make us more thankful for others, not just what others do for us.

I pray that as we flex our gratitude muscles this season, more than we are grateful for things and our own self-satisfaction we can all grow to be exceedingly grateful for people and God.