There is a story of God sending two angels to earth to listen to the prayers of humanity. One angel was asked to collect prayers asking God for something. The other angel was asked to collect prayers of thanksgiving and gratitude.
TWO ANGELS:- The two angels were given large baskets and they descended to earth to begin their task.
The angel collecting prayers that were asking God for something became extremely busy.
Many people prayed to God to help them earn more money, for improved health, for the latest digital device, exquisite jewellery, expensive clothing and new toys. In the meantime, the other angel travelled far and wide looking to fill the basket with prayers of thankfulness. Days passed, but no prayers of gratitude were heard.
The angel collecting prayers of request had a loaded truck but the angel collecting prayers of thankfulness but only a few. When God was presented with their findings, God sighed. “This is nothing new”, said God. “You now have a taste what it is like being with God. People are always praying for something , which is all right because at least they are thinking of me. But few remember to thank me.”
HIS INBOX:- When God checked the email, the mail was brimming over with endless complaints and prayers from billions of people requesting all things all at the same time. But very few emails thanked God for the good they received.
This story illustrates the human condition. People request others to do something for them, but how many people take an equal amount of time to thank them? Similarly, we pray to God for the things we want. How many of us take the time to THANK God?
We focus more on what God has not given than what God has given us. If we were to fill out a thank you note to God for all the good we received, we would discover that we have received much. Let us count many things for which we owe our gratitude to God.
CONDITIONAL BELIEF:- We may feel that God only exists when everything goes our way, and believe that there is God present only if we get whatever we want.
We may have had a job for 35 years, but the one time we are laid off we say there is NO God. We may have had a loving family for years but when one member passes away, we blame God. We may have been healthy for many years, but the one major illness we have, we say, “What is happening to me? There is no God.”
Few say when something goes wrong, “It’s okay God, I still love you and I know You are there. What happened to me must have been something that was best for me, under YOUR WILL.”
THANK GOD:- Let us thank God for each day that we are able to do our work, enjoy our family and friends, for our health and be grateful our ailments are not worse. Feel happy for all the gifts we receive, not only physical, intellectual, and emotional but also for the spiritual gifts of God. We can also spend time connecting with the Divine within prayer and meditation, and in performing selfless services to others. In this way, we can express our gratitude to God, not only in words but also through our deeds.
