Gratitude · Inspiration - Motivation · Lifestyle

Why Not? Are You Too Much Of A Man?…

jacquelineobyikocha

Is it possible to wake up and express a heartfelt gratitude for everything, without a ‘but?’1453822435428[1]

Some gentleman openly made a scornful statement, asking why we should have to express our thankfulness and gratitude for all to see? Why couldn’t we just be thankful in our minds?

I thought it through and my wonder is, maybe he feels it’s not manly enough to be seen doing something as sissy as being grateful or thankful? Who knows.

Anyway, to this retort I say, why not? We talk about virtually anything and everything under the Sun. So why not gratitude and thankfulness? Must we save it only for the day of Thanksgiving, on 24 November?

Is it because the word carries the connotations of Religion or Christian tenets?

Well you are wrong! I think it would be wise to remember that the state of gratitude is a life tenet, which does not respect any doctrine, dogma, race, religion, age or sex.

Thankfulness is a state of being that is the mother of all virtues. When we are thankful, we have less to grumble about. When we are thankful, it makes the little that we have enough. When we are thankful, we are not going to be envious and envy breeds wickedness.

We don’t have to look far to find things to be grateful for: family, food, shelter, friends, clothing, seasons, life, nature, beauty, truth, salvation. The list could go on for decades.

A heart of gratitude opens doors of love, peace and plenty.

Today, I am grateful for life and good health. It’s really a privilege and nothing can truly compare to the promises that I have in God.

A grateful heart will always find satisfaction. May your heart find a grace for gratitude. Like the Bible tells us, ‘God inhabits the praise of His People.

You can join Colline’s  or Maria Jansson gratitude challenge platforms.

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

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Published by jacquelineobyikocha

A wordsmith with a vivid imagination, an eager mind and a burning desire to carve out tales. As I journey with my muse to that land of all possibilities and self discovery, I hope my personal evolution will serve as a beacon of inspiration for anyone who chooses to stop by.

39 thoughts on “Why Not? Are You Too Much Of A Man?…”

  2. You are right. Gratitude is important always, and should be shouted daily from rooftops if possible. Why one would want to hide such a positive emotion is beyond reason.

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  3. Hi Jackie,

    I agree, openly expressing one’s thankfulness is a wonderful way of praising God. It also reassures other people of God’s unconditional love.

    Ah! There’s a sense of gratitude that simply overwhelms one with so much excitement, silent thankfulness just won’t do. 😀

    Have a nice day!

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  5. There was an appreciation exercise carried out at my place of work some months ago. we were told to appreciate 3 people each day for one or more things they had done for us, whether in the workplace or at home. And it dawned on me that I really hardly thank the people or appreciate the little things and the people that make my life/work easier. The gratifying feeling I got too from knowing I was helpful to one or two people, till date, is one of the memories I would cherish for a while. If you appreciate me, say/show it. It takes nothing from you but adds to the beauty of any relationship

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  6. Thank you for writing and sharing this one. I am expressing thankfulness today with no buts 🙂 .
    On another note though I customarily have a thankful attitude, because I don’t believe in taking people or life for granted. I try to go even further to cement the thoughts by keeping a gratitude journal that I usually write in daily. This I have found have helped me become even more aware of what I am being thankful for and how much I have to be grateful for, as a result it helps to keep me humble too. Which in turn put things in perspective and I have found been really great in helping me with continued growth and improvement.

    With that said, I have fallen off a little with that daily practice because I have not written in my gratitude journal for the last few weeks, though I have not been lacking in saying thank you 🙂 . So I will be getting back to writing it too. SO kudos on this and thanks so much for the reminder 🙂 .

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  7. Thank you(s) from thankful hearts gives the recipient a deep sense of worthiness,it helps to have a positive approach to seemingly negative situation. Thank you for sharing always from your depth of insight. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! ❤

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  9. Amen sis! So true, it’s sets the tone of peace and joy. In addition, the more grateful we are the more we receive. :0)) Blessings, Emma

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  12. Hmmm. I want to weigh my words carefully. Expressing gratitude or appreciate demonstrates a person who recognizes someone’s efforts or life’s beauty. There are no religious attachments to a person being thankful. Nor does it make a man a wimp. To be thankful that I opened my eyes today when many others didn’t, only illustrates I am mindful of the little things in life. Thank you for such an amazing post. We need to clone you to spread your positivity around this cold cruel world.

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    1. 🙂 I can make myself available for the cloning. It truly surprises me when I hear certain things such as this. Even another friendly blogger mentioned the same problem that she had encountered to me and I can’t seem to get how someone does not appreciate those little things in their life? These are part of today’s problems, ‘the entitlement syndrome’ and no you are not a wimp 😉

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      1. LOL Great reply. I had an accidnet that could have left me in a wheelchair. But I am still walking on my feet. I’m grateful. It taught me to appreciate EVERYTHING. Thanks for your sweet words, and this wonderful post.

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  13. I’ve noticed that it does make some people angry when I express gratitude. At first it shocked me, but I realize, after giving it some thought, that I should not make their problem my problem. Beautiful post. an attitude of gratitude is ALWAYS right. Thank you for mentioning my gratitude challenge Jacqueline. Gratitude to the people 😉

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  15. Jacqueline, please tell you me you realize how talented you are at weaving words together. You had better realize this (that was not said aggressively but lovingly.) Honestly! Such a simple post but so wonderful!
    No, I am thankful for what I have and I express that openly. I don’t care. Anyway, it’s not enough to do it in your mind. If everyone did that, thankfulness would not be generally understood because we have nothing to reference. Nope. Thankfulness is not just a virtue but an action. You gotta show it.
    Thanks for sharing! 🙂

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  16. Wow what a fabulous blessing! You know what makes me marvel? When you were experiencing your low period a little while back, God knew there was this blessing in store for you.
    And I would add, a blessing well-deserved!

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I love it when you decorate my heart with your words..