When you lack understanding of the why, you become a disaster waiting to happen. It may not show immediately, but in time, the absence of revelation will catch up with you. Many people receive blessings, healing, promotion, or breakthrough without understanding the purpose behind it—and so they lose what they once celebrated. Gratitude is not just about saying thank you; it’s about understanding why you are where you are and remembering Who brought you there.
In Luke 17:17–19, ten lepers cried out to Jesus for mercy. All ten were healed, but only one—just one—returned to give thanks. And to that one, Jesus said, “Arise, go your way; your faith has made you whole.”
There’s a profound difference between being healed and being made whole.
Healing removes the symptoms of an affliction; wholeness restores everything that was broken—physically, emotionally, spiritually, and even relationally. You can be healed today and fall sick again tomorrow, but when you are made whole, you enter a new state of divine completeness that prevents future affliction.
Wholeness, however, is reserved for the grateful.
You are never qualified for more until you are thankful for what you have already received. Heaven’s system doesn’t reward entitlement; it rewards remembrance. Gratitude, in the biblical sense, means remembering where you came from and acknowledging that you are not self-made.
1 Corinthians 4:7 asks pointedly, “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not?”
Gratitude keeps pride at bay and keeps your heart soft before God. Pride says, “I earned this.” Gratitude says, “I was helped.”
That’s why James 4:6 reminds us that “God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Gratitude and humility walk hand in hand; one cannot exist without the other. Gratitude is humility expressed, and humility ensures longevity. The proud rise fast but fall faster; the grateful may rise slower, but they remain established.
In Numbers 20:12, Moses lost the privilege of entering the Promised Land—not because he didn’t serve God faithfully, but because he disobeyed out of frustration. His heart lost sight of the why. When gratitude wanes, obedience falters, and frustration takes over.
Gratitude keeps you aligned with God’s perspective. It helps you remember that your life, your success, and even your anointing are not your own. As Psalm 24:1 declares, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.”
When you understand that truth, you stop taking ownership of what belongs to God and start stewarding it with reverence and thanksgiving.
Some people are stuck not because God hasn’t opened new doors, but because they are still living in the past—past glory or past pain. You cannot embrace a new season while clutching the remnants of the old one. Gratitude gives you perspective; it helps you see even your painful seasons as classrooms, not prisons.
Philippians 3:10 speaks of knowing Christ and “the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.” Gratitude transforms suffering into a lesson rather than a life sentence.
Let go of what was, so you can embrace what is to come. Your past may have shaped you, but it does not define you. Don’t let it impeach your future.
Everything we are, everything we have, and everything we hope to be is by the mercy of God. Romans 9:16 says, “It is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.”
Gratitude shifts the spotlight back to God, reminding us that no matter how gifted, skilled, or hardworking we are, it is the Lord who gives increase. As Isaiah 42:8 declares, “I am the Lord; that is My name; My glory I will not give to another.”
To live with gratitude is to live with awareness—awareness that every breath is grace, every opportunity is mercy, and every blessing is stewardship.
When gratitude becomes your posture, wholeness becomes your reality. You begin to see life through the lens of grace rather than entitlement. You stop complaining about what’s missing and start celebrating what’s been given. You stop looking backward in regret and start looking upward in faith.
Gratitude is not just a reaction to what God has done; it is preparation for what He will do next.
So pause today. Reflect. Remember where you started, who sustained you, and how far He’s brought you. And then say, with a full heart,
“Thank You, Lord.”
With Love, Esinam.
Virtuous Living 