One of the most important spiritual maxims we’ll ever learn is that nothing happens in this world without the order of God, and that He turns all things to good if we submit to His will. Although we usually apply this to rough times, Thanksgiving reminds us that there’s an important “flip-side” to this adage – all the good times that He has willed for us in the past year.

Even though many of us may be facing Thanksgiving this year without a loved one who was lost to us in the past 12 months, or minus a job or the child gone off to school or marriage, there’s something good to be found in every day of our lives if we learn how to look for it.

For example, God willed that we be born and raised here, in affluent America, rather than in a third world nation where survival is much tougher. He willed for us to have the freedom to worship on Sunday rather than in a country where Christians are imprisoned for making even the slightest public gesture of faith in Jesus Christ. God willed that we live in a town full of schools, supermarkets, gas stations and shopping malls that provide us with every possible convenience. He willed each and every member of our family into existence, as well as the people we call our friends and the parishioners we share a pew with every Sunday. Out of all the possible choices He could have made, this is what He willed for each and every one of us.

But these are just the obvious blessings. What about the “little things” we never pay attention to, like the clothes we’re wearing right now, the warm house we’re living in, the comfortable chair and adequate lighting we might be using to read this article. How about the luxury of the coffee or tea we might be drinking, the soap we’ll use in the shower later, the bed we’ll sleep in tonight?

To get the full impact of these musings, imagine if just one of these “little things” was missing. No coffee, no electricity, no heat, no soap, no bed. Think of the discomfort and suffering we would experience if just one was missing.

Now just imagine what it would be like to devote a few minutes every day to focusing on all these “little things” that God was willed for us, every tiny nuance that makes up all the thousands of minutes, days, weeks, months, and years of our life. Think of how grateful we would be while watching our blessings pile up and our troubles dwindle alongside.

In the meantime, our whole attitude about life would change. We would have a brighter outlook, and be happier, more joyful people because our hearts would be filled with gratitude. And yet these would be only minor benefits compared with the rich spiritual reward God has ready for the grateful heart.

As Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen explains in his book, Divine Intimacy, gratitude teaches us true humility. “Because we’re so incapable of paying our debts to God, we should at least try to supply for them by our gratitude. Even the poorest beggar, having nothing to give in return for the alms he has received, can always acknowledge a kindness by showing gratitude to his benefactor. This is our position to God: we have nothing of our own; all that we are and have comes from Him, and in return for His infinite generosity, we can do nothing but use His gifts to express our gratitude to Him.”

Unfortunately, too many of us neglect this duty to God, even the devout who have received the most favors. Like the ten lepers Jesus cured, only one came back to thank Him. This grateful leper was a “stranger” while the other nine were Jews. It is significant that the nine ungrateful lepers were fellow citizens of Jesus and the recipients of His most privileged vocation – to be His followers – and yet they were the ones who showed Him the least gratitude.

“Its is almost as if the multiplicity of the graces which they received dulled their sensitiveness to the divine gifts,” Father Gabriel explains. “Ingratitude always redounds to the disadvantage of the soul.”

He cites St. Bernard who one wrote, “Ingratitude is the enemy of the soul, the destroyer of merit and virtue, causing the loss of favors.”

Gratitude, on the other hand, attracts new graces, new gifts. Why is this?

Because a grateful heart is a humble heart, and nothing is more attractive to God. A humble heart knows its weakness but is confident in God’s desire to help. It cries out for His assistance like the child calls for its parent. This attitude endears us to God who, like any mother or father, delights in caring for their child.

On the other hand, the proud heart mistakenly believes that their affluent position is due to their own efforts. Although one must indeed by a cooperator in God’s plan, ultimately, every ounce of success we achieve is willed by God. To Him alone belongs the credit for our talent, family, career, possessions. Make no mistake, even the tiniest portion of our blessings are a part of His plan.

The daily profession of thanks in prayer, with sufficient time to reflect on the specific blessings in our life, is very necessary if we want to acquire a sincerely grateful heart. Otherwise, we might fall victim to the self-deception of professing gratitude with our lips while our hearts are still thinking we deserve all the credit.

This is when we begin to act like the Pharisee who said, “Oh God, I give thee thanks that I’m not like the rest of men” (Luke 18:11).

As Father Gabriel explains, “The context clearly shows that this proud man was far from recognizing his own nothingness and attributing to God alone the little good that might have been in him. A humble man has an entirely different attitude: if he has done some good or practiced virtue, he is convinced that all is the fruit of grace . . .”

He suggests that if the divine benefits we have received are not producing a proportionate amount of spiritual results, the reason probably lies in our want of gratitude. “The root of this evil is a lack of humility,” he warns.

Thanksgiving is the perfect time to “turn over a new leaf” and focus on God’s blessings every day. First, because He deserves it and; second, because it will make us a much more happy and joy-filled person.

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