Gratitude

“When I go up to kiss my sleeping children and linger with them, in quietness and love, that is prayer. There is a wordless unity of God, myself, my children, a sense of gratitude and reverence, awareness of my need for strength, shame for my failings, a promise to try again.”

“In my religious community, the Quakers, there are many different understandings of God, and some might not even believe in a God, as such. From that perspective, the God in question is an inner experience, the love and connection felt between people, maybe a metaphor which could help me to live a better life. With God within and alongside rather than above, there would be no actual giver for the gift. But I still feel gratitude.”

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

“Gratitude is not, strictly speaking, one of the commonly cited Quaker values. But, when we engage in gratitude, we engage more deeply with the Quaker values we do hold. When we are grateful for the actions or kindnesses of others around us, we are more connected to Community, and more invested in it. When we are grateful for the natural world, we notice and connect to it, and can be more interested its Stewardship. When we stop to be grateful for the roof over our heads, we have awareness and empathy for those without this blessing in their lives and can re-commit ourselves to Service.”

“This way of seeing our Father in everything makes life one long thanksgiving and gives a rest of heart, and, more than that, a gayety of spirit, that is unspeakable.”

“Over the course of my years of Quaker worship I have learned that certain attitudes help me into worship – particularly humility and gratitude. Gratitude is easy; I can think of all that I am thankful for, and that’s probably the best way into worship on a difficult, distracted day. By humility I don’t mean grovelling and feeling awful about myself. It means, simply, remembering that I am not in charge, that I do not know what should happen (either in the meeting or beyond it) and so I am listening intently.”

“Let us visualize practicing gratitude as a well-crafted testimony of our intentions and aspirations. This is something that can have a strong impact on our individual selves as well as in our society. On a personal level, for example, when we are grateful for the gifts that others have given or shared with us, we create space for better relationships based on mutual support and care. This is also an opportunity for confronting our limitations and for setting the stage for change.”

“It was during my nine-year stay in Australia that I first experienced Quakerism. The communal silence of Quaker worship was such a gift, as was the evolving friendship and kindness of those who sat with me. I was painfully aware of my inability to offer a monetary gift as an expression of gratitude for my spiritual nourishment. And so it was with relief that I learned that, though Quakers don’t pass a collection plate, they do pass committee sign-up sheets. There were no paid employees organizing worship times, cleaning the meetinghouse, or managing the records. There was only a community of willing hands. My skills had found a home… Like God, gratitude is a verb. At least, that’s how I experience it.”

“So every man, according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loveth a cheerful giver, (mark, a cheerful giver,) and God is able to make all grace abound towards you, that ye always having all-sufficiency in all things may abound to every good work, as is written, “He hath dispersed abroad, he hath given to the poor, his righteousness remaineth forever;” mark! now he that ministereth seed to the sower, both ministereth bread for your food, and multiplies your seed sown, and increaseth the fruits of your righteousness. Isa. 4:10. and 2 Cor. 9:7-10. Being enriched in every good thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.”

“It has often been in my heart to write a short account to leave behind me of the Lord’s gracious dealings with me, and of the great mercies, which in His infinite love, He has freely bestowed upon me, far beyond my deserts or expectation, to my great joy and consolation. Praises, thanks, glory, honor and renown, be given and ascribed unto Him; for He alone is worthy, God over all, blessed forever, amen.”

“Whether we believe that God is personal, or Universal Goodness, or the Light, I hope that Friends can come to realize that we didn’t “earn”  the most important things in life, such as love, health, or even inner peace. Life itself is a gift beyond what words can describe, and therefore the most appropriate response to life is gratitude. When we are truly aware of life’s preciousness, expressing gratitude becomes heart-felt and Spirit-led. When we express gratitude to people, we affirm that we care about them and appreciate the divine within them. For me, this kind of gratitude is the heart of real community.”

“I felt gratitude pouring out of my heart, like light out of a bright window, reaching toward all who had offered their kindness and help. ‘This is what it feels like to be whole-hearted,’ I told myself. The whole-heartedness issued not only from gratitude, but also from an awareness of my vulnerable dependence on the goodness of God and other people. I felt blessedly connected with everyone and everything.”

“Although I had passed through some very pinching trials, and some seasons of close exercise; yet, that Holy help has been near in the time of need. In the remembrance thereof, my soul feels renewedly bowed in thankfulness to the great Author of every blessing.”

“My parents intentionally raised me to be thankful. I spent a lot of time in my childhood, at times almost against my will, writing “thank you” notes for presents or experiences I received from relatives and friends. But over time, that discipline of writing thank you notes changed my view and taught me what I believe is genuine gratitude and thanks.” 

“They come thereby to enjoy and feel the arisings of this Life, which, as it prevails in each particular, becomes as a flood of refreshment and overspreads the whole meeting, for man and man’s part and wisdom being denied and chained down in every individual, and God exalted, and his Grace in dominion in the heart, thus his Name comes to be one in all, and his glory breaks forth and covers all.”

“A few months ago, during silent worship, I visualized myself standing in a very bright shower of light coming down from above, from a source I couldn’t see because the light was too bright. The light was moving and flowing over me, as the water in a shower does, with a very soft kind of rushing sound… The rushing shower seemed to overcome some of my resistance to receiving the unconditional Divine love I believe it symbolized…”

On leading a Quaker workshop: “I find it easy to recognise the presence of the Host. People come to me in tears, telling me of profound transformational experiences, and I stand in awe. I’ve held the space, but the work hasn’t been done by me. My job is to make room for the Spirit to do its work. It is a constantly humbling experience.”

“A lovely morning. All around me was calculated to impress my heart with love and gratitude, and in my time of stillness, I earnestly sought an increase in ‘the increase of God!’ but to be kept very low at my Saviour’s feet—there only, I know, is safety to be found by me—and to be kept there, even through deep suffering, I now regard as my choicest blessing.”

“While I was too young to have any religion of my own, I had come to a home where religion kept its fires always burning. We had very few ‘things’, but we were rich in invisible wealth. I was not ‘christened’ in a church, but I was sprinkled from morning to night with the dew of religion. We never ate a meal which did not begin with a hush of thanksgiving; we never began a day without ‘a family gathering’ at which mother read a chapter of the Bible after which there would follow a weighty silence.”

“Worship is the response of the human spirit to the presence of the divine and eternal, to the God who first seeks us. The sense of wonder and awe of the finite before the infinite leads naturally to thanksgiving and adoration.”

“One of the most vivid experiences [of individual worship] on my part was sitting quietly for at least an hour before a picture by the Dutch painter Vermeer, and absorbing its sheer beauty… The room was crowded with people, but I was oblivious of them, as I was equally oblivious of the passage of time. As a result of this act of concentration the vision of this particular masterpiece is indelibly stamped on my mind which has forever been enriched by it. I know that my ordinary acts of seeing and observation have been sharpened by that experience. There was drawn from me an acknowledgement of the greatness of the artist and his painting and I caught, with awe, the light of his inspiration and creativeness. Further, something was given to me that I can only describe as, literally, a transcending of the normal everyday world. This quite simple secular

“Most of us have known some degree of real suffering or sorrow. Even those of us who have led a seemingly charmed life have seen the suffering of others or known the very real sorrow of a dear loved one who has lost all or nearly all, or some who live in a near constant fear of death, physical, spiritual or emotional. It is not pretty. How then is it that we could, or should be expected to be thankful?”

“I believe I may say that, in a retrospect of my complaints, I have scarcely, if ever, dared to desire that things had been ordered for me other-wise than they have been. I am ready to be surprised, that so unworthy a creature has hitherto been preserved in the degree of composure which I have been permitted to experience.”

“Instead of waking up in the morning and thinking about what feels bad and wrong, what I am striving toward and what I don’t have yet, I’m going to focus on what feels good and right, what I am blessed to experience and humbled to witness.”

“If it’s truly gratitude, I’m not sure if there is a dark side. [Everyone] has the opportunity to access gratitude, no matter where they are in life. […] I think gratitude pairs well with humility; it counters that smugness or arrogance you mention. I also think it’s important to recognize gratitude most importantly for those things that are not possessions: family, friends, relationships, community.”

“After some weeks of practicing gratitude, I found that a spiritual joy was growing in my heart. Being thankful made me more fully aware of the great love and gifts God was continually giving me. How wonderful! Glorious! To know that God was so close, constant and loving. That feeling of the joy of God’s love became the bedrock of my emotions.”

“Our lives are in the hand of a kind Providence, to give or take away; and I desire we may be helped to be thankful for his dispensations. I wonder my days are thus prolonged; but amidst afflictions, I have cause to be thankful for many mercies. We have an unwearied enemy, who seeks to draw us aside; and if he cannot by great things, he will by little ones.”

“A dreadful alarm of fire in the night on our premises; but through the unspeakable goodness of Providence, it was got under without any material damage.  O, how do I desire to be made thankful enough for this renewed instance of divine preservation! But alas! I feel so poor and exhausted, both in mind and body, that I fear my gratitude is not enough lively and fervent: yet a little hope revives my drooping soul that our merciful Creator, who knows the weakness of our frame, will be pleased to accept the integrity of my heart.”

“Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy — because we will always want to have something else or something more.”

It’s been a little over two years since we embarked on this journey to give Quakers a platform in the digital age. We believe Quakers have something to offer in the 21st century, and by telling our stories and exploring our practices, we can both deepen and broaden the modern Quaker movement.

“Many years ago, I was present at a monthly meeting for business seeking to discern whether to hold worship on Thanksgiving morning. Thinking of all the work I would be facing that morning, my contribution to the discussion was, ‘You all can go ahead and worship Thanksgiving morning, but I will be home baking pies.’ As soon as the words left my mouth, I felt humiliated. How could I make such an unworshipful comment? Wouldn’t Friends think me a bad Quaker for prioritizing pies over worship? After the business meeting, many Friends responded to my comment. To my surprise, none scolded me. Instead, many seemed astonished that anyone knew how to bake homemade pies anymore. Reverently, they said, ‘You bake pies?'”

“Rather than ceding the major holidays to corporate America, I believe that it is time to reclaim them. Starting with Thanksgiving. We are a nation that is over-worked to the point of exhaustion. We are a people desperately in need of Sabbath. Sunday was once widely reserved as a time of rest and worship, but now it is considered fair game by many employers. Even those of us who are privileged enough to be exempted from working weekends have largely lost the rest that our ancestors once knew. If we do not spend our weekends putting in extra hours on our electronic devices, we are out shopping, chauffeuring kids around, and generally catching up on all the unpaid work that we had to defer during the week.”

“When all comes to all, the most precious element in life is wonder. Love is a great emotion and power is power but both love and power are based on wonder. Plant consciousness, insect consciousness, fish consciousness, animal consciousness, all are related by one permanent element, which many called the religious element in all life, even in a flea: the sense of wonder. That is our sixth sense. And it is the natural religious sense.”

“When I consider the short extent of my life, swallowed up in the eternity before and after, the small space that I fill or even see, engulfed in the infinite immensity of spaces unknown to me and which know me not, I am terrified and astounded to find myself here and not there.”

“For those of you who celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope you had a happy one! The Daily Quaker Message spent the last month exploring the theme of Gratitude. In early Quaker texts, this sentiment was more often communicated as “awe” before God, and we read excerpts from journals where a feeling that began as reverence for the Divine moved Friends to feel thankful for life’s blessings. Though gratitude isn’t one of the Quaker Testimonies, engaging in gratitude necessarily means engaging more deeply with Quaker values, and is a tool some Friends use to help them enter into worship. Paired with humility, a gratitude practice can be a transformational force of compassion and set the practitioner up to choose happiness, even in times of suffering.”