By Nicola Coombs Jones

What's the first thing you do when you arise from your slumber? You probably brush your teeth, have a warm shower and grab a quick bite before you jump into the hustle and bustle of things. Mmm….Have I got you thinking yet? There is no better time for your young, vibrant personality to value the habit of thanksgiving.

How often do you thank God for living to see another day? How often do you thank Him for the simple things of life that others don't have the opportunity to share in? What about the bad times? We are not restricted to thank God for only the good things that happen to us or for us. It is extremely important for us to bring the voice of thanksgiving into our daily routine.

Too often we open our eyes and say or groan, "Oh God, another day, I don't feel like going to work or going to school." We fight with ourselves a bit before we roll off our beds and get ready to face the obligations of our daily lives.

God didn't have to bless us with life to see our bedroom ceilings every morning. He doesn't have to provide the many opportunities to educate ourselves. God is a faithful God, but we choose to leave gratitude behind or dust it off of our shoulders.

While we are young let’s cultivate the habit of thanking God for small mercies. This would help us appreciate the simple things the world has to offer, as we grow older and wiser.

God's faithfulness should be acknowledged throughout our lives every day. Plant your seed of thanksgiving and watch your garden of blessings flourish. 

One day after work it took me approximately 50 minutes to jump into a taxi heading to my destination. My body was already drained from my office duties and to make matters worse within 30 minutes of waiting it began to drizzle.

We all know what happens when the slightest rain hit Trinidad soil…traffic for so. By this time I was frustrated, so I said a silent, short prayer to Jesus and within minutes a car pulled up in front of me. As soon as I got into the taxi the rain poured down.

I could not care about the traffic that lay ahead; it beats standing in the rain. I was so grateful I praised God loudly enough for the other passengers to hear. By praising God out loud we set an example for those around us.

Luke 17:11-19 tells us that of the ten lepers healed by Jesus only one prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked Jesus for his healing. Jesus said to the man, "go in peace, it is your faith that saved you…” Are you one of the nine lepers? Or would you stand alone and praise Jesus?

There are many stories in the Bible where gratitude is displayed. In Colossians 3:15 Paul reminds us to be grateful to God at least three times. Just think of the many times when you were a toddler and you would utter the words “Thank you” when you received something you asked or cried for.

I am sure that those words would have delighted the hearts of your parents or grandparents. Don’t allow your focus to shift from praise to petitions, as you get older.

With this said, I urge you to include thanksgiving in your daily routine from the moment you open your eyes in the morning till you fall asleep again late at night.

Thankfulness should be an occasional attitude and not just an occasional incident.