By Mathy Milling Downing (she/her), UTO Board Province III Representative
Gratitude is a positive emotion that involves being thankful and appreciative. When you experience gratitude you feel grateful for something and respond with feelings of warmth, kindness, and other forms of generosity. Gratitude involves recognizing the goodness of life. It’s noticing something special and giving thanks in the form of prayers, blessings, or monetary contributions to the United Thank Offering. It is a spiritual discipline.
Practicing gratitude can positively impact your life physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It impacts everyone regardless of age, gender, race, socioeconomic standing, or religion. It does not always involve major life events. You can be filled with gratitude when seeing a rainbow after the clouds have moved away or watching the sunrise. It could be the birth of a new baby, beauty found when walking through a colorful and fragrant garden, or hiking silently along a trail in the woods.
Showing gratitude isn’t difficult, and it doesn’t always mean giving money. Although we can contribute to UTO by filling Blue Boxes with coins and bills, contributing online, or writing checks, the most powerful examples of gratitude I have ever experienced took place on a mission trip to the Masasi region of Tanzania and did not involve monetary offerings.
A small group of us traveled to Tanzania to see some of the projects completed by African Palms, USA. We had the opportunity to visit many villages. There we saw health clinics, much needed medical equipment, pharmacies, villages where wells had been drilled for clean water, and schools. The majority of the places we visited were extremely poor. What impressed me was the many ways that the villagers expressed their gratitude. It was a life-changing experience and truly a God moment for me.
The first act of gratitude I witnessed began with sound. We had traveled for quite a while over deeply rutted dirt roads while traversing up a mountain. As we neared the top where a boys’ school was situated, we began to hear beautiful singing, which got louder the closer we approached. The volume continued to increase. As we rounded the bend, there were hundreds of villagers and students from the school, singing songs of praise and thanksgiving for us, waving palm fronds as they sang. They had no money but could not have given us a warmer or more inviting welcome. I was so moved by their actions.
As we visited small village churches, some without walls or roofs, there was always beautiful, uplifting song and frequently dance. Their expressions were ones of such joy and happiness. What they could not give monetarily, they gave from the heart. Their gratitude in praising God was so profound. During the offertory, people would come forward. If they did not have money to contribute, they offered bags of cashews, fresh eggs, bolts of cloth, chickens, whatever they could provide. To me these acts of gratitude were such blessings and truly represented the spirit of giving.
Everywhere we went we were greeted with love and acceptance. Gratitude was evident not only in the adults, but also in the children. There were warm smiles and always songs.
I list these acts of gratitude as examples of what it means to give from the heart. These actions from total strangers impacted me deeply. It was a true lesson in sharing love and blessings with others. I’m fortunate in that I can share my gratitude with those who need my support by making monetary donations to the United Thank Offering, but I recognize that not everyone can do so. I encourage others to give what they can. Even pennies in a Blue Box can add up. When UTO contributions are pooled together, we are able to fund grants for much needed projects that will better the lives of many.
Following that trip to Tanzania, UTO funded a life-changing grant for the construction of the first secondary school for girls in the Masasi region, thus affording 200 girls from numerous villages a chance to obtain a good education in a safe environment. The hope is that these girls will, in turn, share their newfound knowledge with others and encourage new learners to continue in their footsteps, all while praising God for being given this opportunity to grow and learn. It is paying God’s blessings forward. It is sharing gratitude.
What are your blessings today? Share them with others. Praise God for all that has been bestowed upon you. Take a Blue Box and make it a Blessing Box. Every day think of at least one thing that made you happy or left you in awe. Write it down on a slip of paper and place it in the box. Before long, your box will be filled with a plethora of happy thoughts and special blessings. Every once in a while, take them out and read through them. You will be filled with gratitude all over again.
I am grateful for this opportunity to share my reflections of gratitude with you. May your eyes be open to the love, joy, and beauty surrounding you today and every day. Praise God for all the goodness in your life.