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Why You Have To Show Gratitude

Thanksgiving gives way for more thanks.

As the event was about to come to the close, I realized I had only sprayed money on the bride who was my friend and the groom but I still

needed to give her an envelope to compliment it. As I handed the envelope in her hand, “thank you,” she said casually. I understood the situation, the circumstances. The wedding stress, she was on a heat, yeah a hot seat. I left. In the night I excused her, perhaps she was enjoying their wedding night with her husband.

Tomorrow is still the best time to show her heartfelt gratitude not for the money I sprayed on them, nor for the envelope but acknowledging me for defying everything I should be doing on that Sunday just to attend her wedding, since she chose me as one of her ladies of honour. She never cared how I managed to get home. Did I arrived home safely coming to the fact that she knew the time I left the reception venue, it was late already.

For days I was still expecting her text, anticipating even a call to say “thank you" until I got tired of waiting. Yes I complained to my friend, aunty Oluchi, she said it wasn’t late. Then some weeks later I told her I  haven’t heard from that my friend I attended her wedding with the last money in my account and defied the weather condition and bad road just to ensure I was not found wanting in that wedding. 

Why we forget gratitude is because we are not appreciative.

Hey, anyone who tells you that gratitude doesn’t matter is a blatant liar. Everyone appreciates and feels better and happy to be recognized, appreciated and above all thanked for something good they have done. I can be generous to the extent of spending all I have to make another person happy and leave my own needs. I don’t know if it could be seen as foolishness but I don’t know but as for me, I call it selfless oriented. But my joy comes full when the person shows gratitude (thankful) yes my reward is great and rich in heaven 

However, now remember the writing of the only gosple writer Luke to report on the cure of these ten lepers. Leprosy, a disease the jews believed it was caused by God for the punishment of some particular sin. So more than other diseases, was considered a mark of God's displeasure. This disease results to lose of fingers and toes. That Jesus acknowledged gratitude. After the healing of the 10 lepers, one probably the Samarian among them came and he thanked Jesus. When one leper out of 10 lepers Jesus healed came to say “Thank you Jesus” when someone shows appreciation by showing gratitude you would want to do more for them. Jesus asked what about the other 9?  Jesus said, go your sins are forgiven, now he was not only healed but saved too and was healed and made whole wherefore the other nine were not saved. Perhaps the ingratitude of the other nine was worse than leprosy. They were like someone coming to receive blessings and end up going home with additional curse. 

Like we are Christ-like you can agree that you would feel same when someone you have done something good for or helped out in time of their needs returns to say “Thank you" there is this happiness right! Believe you get that now. Living a life of gratitude is paramount. Always be thankful. And make sure your thankfulness leads to action.

The other reason why people don’t show gratitude is this I am about to say.

Taking the other person for granted may be another reason why we omit to express gratitude. I may have been guilty of this in not expressing gratitude. Gratitude is a way of seeing. Two people experience similar circumstances. One grows ugly. One finds gratitude. It’s up to you to decide which way you follow. 

Anytime one wakes up from sleep becomes his morning. 

A simple statement such as, “I know that a long time has passed, but…” still think that "but" which means you still have to do something—gratitude 

Taking the other person for granted may be another reason why we omit to express gratitude. I may have been guilty of this in not expressing gratitude to everyone who has done something for me. As it was her role to organise the event, I may have unknowingly been in a transactional relationship with her and it may have seemed unimportant at the time to give her due acknowledgment of her contribution.

We may feel ashamed or guilty about not expressing gratitude when it was due. The bride might have felt the moment had passed and the opportunity to publicly thank me would never return. The lovely thing about integrity though is that it is not about always acting as we feel we should. Integrity is about acknowledging when we have gone off track and getting back on track again by taking appropriate action. In this case, she should have known that the only way to gain her integrity was to contact me, express her regret, and offer her sincere gratitude no matter the lengthy months have passed. No time is late to show gratitude.

You lose 80% blessings when you don't show gratitude.

Gratitude gives us grace and if we don’t express it where it’s due, it is grace that we lose. One meaning of grace is ‘smoothness and elegance of movement’. These qualities apply to what gratitude gives to relationships, which are neither smooth nor elegant when we forget to express our gratitude.

Things you consider what happens if you forget gratitude. You won't experience—
Peace, Love, Opportunity, Kindness, Favour : if you fail to show gratitude to someone who has done good thing for you, you lose the trust the person have for you and they wouldn’t want to show you favour ever again, it takes some golden hearts to still want to help an ingratitude person.

A common theme is that when participants pay greater attention to practising gratitude they feel calmer. I believe that one reason for this is that an existential gap has been filled; a deep human need to express gratitude has been met.  Our lack of gratitude, however, can lurk in our subconscious and give us a sense –perhaps unidentified–of incompletion, of something broken. When we do express gratitude, peace is restored. The relationship can start to move again in an elegant and smooth way.

For you not to lose these 8 things when you forget to show gratitude

Meanwhile in summary as benefits of showing gratitude, you can as well take the reverse case as 8 things you lose for not showing gratitude below:

1. You lose friendship 

2. Lose respect 

3. Lose favour 

4. Affects you health negatively 

5. Affects your personality and reduce your self esteem 

6. Tampers your happiness 

7. Invades in your social interactions and social life

8. Disfigures/destabilizes your emotional status.

All you need do is to learn to show gratitude by practicing. Learn to appreciate your partner for no matter how little what they did. Make them feel special, not only would they be happy but would find and go extra miles to do more of what they have done.


Read related posts 

Her fairy tale romance 

Best way to find help when you are in need 

Why you don't need meanness to run this race called life

Why he wanted me to be his bae

The only thing I could remember 

The nastiest action of my life 


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