The tone of our lives is of extreme importance. When a person is walking in the gifts of the Holy Spirit this should not be taken as a measure of the person’s spirituality. The gifts speak about the giver, but how much of the fruit of the Spirit is shining through someone’s character, is a true measure of growth and spirituality. However, God is constantly cultivating the garden of our characters, to bring us to the place where the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit are working in tandem. One of the most important fruit of the Spirit – which we see portrayed throughout the Bible – is an attitude of gratitude. Gratitude, or knowing how to properly say thank you, has two components, one being to glorify God and the other to manifest gratitude to the person who has done something for you. Gratitude needs to be expressed humbly, personally, with appropriate and sincere words – if necessary repeatedly, without using your gratitude to manipulate in order to get more, or making it about your own spirituality. You could be creative in showing your appreciative gratitude for ongoing support by giving a card, flowers, etc. When receiving a kind deed from someone, pass it on. The results of saying thank you properly are: It glorifies God, it brings His favour (because He gives grace to the humble), pride and independence are dealt with and in the process of learning to receive, one becomes a better giver. Gratitude prevents a person from having a victim mentality and makes you a you happy, fulfilled and resilient person.
