BY RICK WARREN |
Study after study has linked
gratitude to happiness. Psychologists and sociologists have proven that the
more grateful you are, the happier you are.
If you
want to have healthy relationships, then start with an attitude of gratitude.
You will be far happier and enjoy your relationships more if you will develop
the habit of being grateful for the people in your life.
Paul says
in Philippians 1:3, “Every time I think of you, I give
thanks to my God” (NLT,
second edition).
This
simple truth is the foundation of good relationships.
When you
think of the people in your life, is your first feeling gratitude? For too many
of us, it can be, “What do they need to do for me? What problems have we got?
What do we need to get done?” But Paul showed us a different way. His first
thought for his friends was one of gratitude, and it is the model we should
follow if we want relationships that last.
Here’s
the challenge: The longer you know someone, the more likely you are to take
that person for granted. Isn’t that true? The longer you know someone, the
easier it is to focus on that person’s faults and the bad times instead of the
happy times.
That’s
why it takes effort on our part to choose to have an attitude of gratitude for
the people in our lives. When we develop the habit of thanking God for people
in our lives, it will cultivate happiness and have a lasting and eternal impact
on those relationships.
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