Inspire

Appreciation

“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.

Honor one another above yourselves.”

~Romans 12:10~

Feeling appreciated is one of the most important needs that people have. When you share with someone your appreciation and gratitude, they will not forget you. Appreciation will return to you many times. I have lived with the simple philosophy and commitment that you should appreciate people, especially while they are living. Saying, “thank you”, “I love you”, “I need you”, “having you in my life has been a blessing”, or any words that convey heartfelt gratitude and appreciation should happen daily.

How can we show our appreciation to those around us? I believe we can either appreciate people in a re-active way (after they’ve done something we like or accomplished something important), or we can appreciate them in a pro-active way (for who they are, qualities they have, or because we care about them and want to empower them).  Both of these types of appreciation are important, but pro-active appreciation is vital to the creation of extraordinary relationships and teams.  Sadly, many of us are either not very good at pro-active appreciation or we simply don’t take the time to pro-actively acknowledge the people around us. Appreciating people for “no reason” is the ultimate form of pro-active appreciation. Have you ever been given a gift for no reason, or been told something kind out of the blue? How did it make you feel? There is great power behind an unexpected gift. We don’t need to wait for the “right time” or the “appropriate moment” to tell someone we love them, what they mean to us, or how much we appreciate them. Sadly, it sometimes takes life smacking us with a “two-by-four” to the head (aka a death, accident, tragedy, etc.) for us to really stop and take inventory of what and who is truly important to us.  However, if we look around and pay attention to the people in our lives, we can appreciate each and every one of them for no reason at all, just because we care about them and they are important to us.

We can show appreciation to those around us who we treasure, but we also should remember who deserves our greatest appreciation! Many times we are content to only reel out before God a laundry list of complaints and requests. And just as often, He keeps faith with us, answering our prayers and fulfilling our petitions. It is His nature to come to the aid of those that cry out to Him. Unfortunately, we take this sterling attribute of God for granted. We never sit back to survey His wonderful works, to honor His magnificence, to appreciate Him as our Father. When we truly look at God and His works, we should be completely overwhelmed by God’s awesome greatness, power and majesty. We should see no parallel anywhere else to what God has created, but be appreciative and know that He is continuing His creative works even today. We have so much reason to praise and honor Him. God gave light to the dark world; He constructed the sky and formed the waters and oceans. God separated land from the waters and caused vegetation to sprout up all over the earth. God created the sun, the moon and stars and ordered them accordingly. Then, He made fishes in the waters and birds in the air. The animals in the forest followed soon after. And with all things duly made ready, God then made man as the apex of His creation, reflecting His special love and attachment to man whom He made in His own image.

God is very great indeed. He is worthy to receive all glory, honor and power, for He has created all things for His pleasure. You are made to be a pleasure to God. You are made to be special to the Almighty. If for nothing else, this is enough reason for you to love Him with all your heart, spirit and mind, and to yield your whole life entirely to Him. Make everyday an opportunity to appreciate God more for all His grace in your life. Consider that the Lord who made the world and all that is in it, who sustains and maintains all His creatures, is your Father. He is so great that there is nothing He cannot do for you. The mere thought of this ought to make you appreciate God more than ever.

This week I challenge you to put appreciation into action! Make a list of five or more people in your life. Over the next few days, pick up the phone, send them an email or note, and/or talk to them in person. Let them know what you appreciate about them and do it “for no reason.” Have fun and watch how excited they get!

- Helena Schaden

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