Attitude Of Gratitude

When was the last time you sat down and ate a meal? I mean really ate, like taking slow bites and savoring each flavor. If you try it, it can be a completely different experience from the usual wolfing-down food on the go. You discover flavors that you were previously unaware of, and you become satisfied with smaller portions of things. I’ll be the first to admit that I am usually guilty of eating too fast and too much... but I’ve been more conscious of that lately and it has caused me to think beyond food and propose this question: When was the last time you savored the flavor of life?

In this day and age it is so easy to forget about the very vital things that sustain our lifestyles, let alone our very lives. We wake up each morning taking for granted that we have actually woken up. We have food to prepare a breakfast, or we have the money to buy some. Speaking of money, most of us have sources of income, so we can take care of our needs and our wants. We have shelter, we have comforts. We have family, and friends among us. Yet one thing most of us act like we don’t have is time. Why is it that we have so much abundantly set before us, and we never bother to consider how blessed we really are. We overlook all that we have, and instead desire what we don’t have. We never really taste the goodness of life, we just nyam it down.

Try taking the time to give thanks during the day at every moment possible even if it seems like there is nothing to be thankful for... because there always is. Even if you were to have nothing, which is rare but almost possible, then give thanks for every draw of breath, every beat of the heart, every little second onward against the tide of struggle. It requires a great deal of humbling of the self and magnifying of the Almighty. I know that some people do not believe in God, but as a Rastaman I have to give thanks and praise to the Creator and Sustainer of Life... Yahweh, Jehovah. I give thanks for the love and sacrifice of the Savior, Iyesus Kristos. I give thanks for the wisdom and faithfulness of King Selassie I. I give thanks for all the prophets, the freedom fighters, and the lovers of humanity. I give thanks that life has a purpose to it, that there is a rhythm... and you just have to tune in. When you're in sync, it is easier to go forward in confidence.

Take a moment to pray, to show some gratitude. Many things come forth from a grateful spirit. For instance, being thankful will help you become happier, healthier, more satisfied, more caring and more aware. Take time to acknowledge creation, the plants, and the animals, the small and wondrous things that we often just pass by. If you did so, you would know JAH because creation reflects the Creator! Gratitude can change your doubt into faith, your weaknesses into strength. And if you don’t sight up the Most High but say you are grateful, then who are you really showing gratitude to? It’s bigger than you, or me, or any man or woman. Yet people are so vain and confused, sometimes they’d rather say that aliens came down and genetically manufactured us rather than admit that there is a God. Go praise some Martians if you want... but I can’t sight that up, not at all!

Gratitude should be a continuous attitude, it should be part of one’s lifestyle (or as we say in Rastafari, livity) and not just for a particular occasion. When you have gratitude it allows the peace of JAH to reign in the heart even amidst troubles. When you honor and glorify the Most High it eradicates the trivial worries, the selfish wants, and the despair that can form when you don’t clean up your mind and heart. When you practice being thankful, all of those burdens just slip off because you give them no foothold. It’s not a magic wand and not everything will go as you would like, but you will see things in a different way when you have a thankful heart because it helps you to keep counting the blessings rather than overlooking them. Being grateful for even the smallest of things can make a huge difference on your outlook on life. And just like a delicious dish that you take time on, life too will taste a little bit sweeter... I guarantee it!

All Praises Due to JAH! Rastafari! Keep an attitude of gratitude!

JAHsh