How To Be Happy, Part 5

Thanksgiving continued.

A couple  of weeks ago, I gave my son a balloon, a huge, "happy birthday,"  balloon. It was not his birthday. It was the birthday of one of the guys  at the office, but knowing how much my son loves balloons, I asked if I  could keep the helium-filled item and take it home for him.

My son received  the gift with a somewhat detached reaction at the unexpected gift. It took  him a while to start playing with it. When he finally did, he played with  it delicately and softly. After a while, however, his boyish self came  out and he started treating it with the roughness associated with eighteen  months old boys. My heart cringed at this. "I hope he makes it last"  was my comment to my wife. She wisely pointed out that I should let him  enjoy it in whichever way he wanted.

Have you had anything like this happen  to you? Have you ever given someone a gift and were not appreciated in  return?

I must admit that I had anticipated great excitement and thanksgiving  from his part when receiving the gift. So I was slightly disappointed when  he did not express as much excitement as I thought was due. I did not feel  appreciated.

God gives us gifts in the same way. They are unexpected gifts,  out of his selfless love for us. Now, besides the fact that God has perfect  expectations because he already knows what we call "the future;" how do you thing HE feels when He gives us gifts that go, at best, unappreciated  and, at worst, treated with contempt?

Do you express gratitude for the  gifts he gives you? Do you take care of them?

Taking good care of the  gifts he gives us is one way we can show appreciation towards Him. The  bible refers to this as "stewardship." Are you a good steward  of your body, your health, your mind, your time, your family, your friends,  your finances, etc?

It is important to take time to think about what He  does for you, thank Him, and show appreciation to Him by taking good care  of what He gives you. These disciplines will not only help you develop  greater trust and intimacy with Him, they will also help you start focusing  on what you DO have, instead of what you DO NOT have.

Join us next time  as we venture beyond the topic of thanksgiving, and onto other aspects  of How to Be Happy!

Lets Grow Together!!!