Show gratitude to God. Any who is grateful does so to the profit of the soul; but if any is ungrateful, God is in no need; God is worthy of all praise. (Quran 31:12)
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It's strange, but if put on the spot, many people seem to have a problem figuring out things for which they are thankful. Picture AIF's Thanksgiving/Eid dinner last Friday. We had a nice group of people and we decided to go around and tell a story that reflected thanks. Most of the people groaned and claimed they couldn't think of anything. However, as the conversation went on, everyone eventually discovered that their story came out very easily.
When I was going through a very difficult situation in my life, I used to have to force myself to think of five things for which I was thankful EVERY DAY. I had plenty to be thankful for, but was very caught up in my moment and pity for myself, so those wonderful things were seemingly few and far between. As I got into the habit more and more, I was able to find things to be thankful for all around me! I went from being a very negative drama queen to a much more positive, 'slightly less drama' queen. Perfection isn't my goal, but learning to see the good in the bleakest situation is.
When I find myself back in a situation where the things to be thankful for are once again pushed out of my line of vision, I look to inspiration to bring me back around to reality. One key tool is the Internet. Since I'm on the computer for a good chunk of my week, one of the easiest things to do is simply type in 'thankful' or some similar search term into my browser. One of my favorite sites, wikiHow, has a short, but nice guide on
How to Be Thankful.
For what are you thankful?
How do you bring yourself back to reality when negative thoughts bring you down?
It's appropriate that Eid Al-Adha and Thanksgiving fall around the same time this year. Both holidays focus on giving thanks. As you celebrate one or both of these 'thanks-centered' holidays, remember to find something in your everyday to be thankful for, so you can have a thankful heart all year 'round.
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Kelly
American Islamic Fellowshipblog@americanislamicfellowship.com
