A Grateful Heart

A Grateful Heart is Fertile Ground

When we strive to interact with members of our family, or with friends, coworkers, and all others, with respect, humility, and dignity, we lay the groundwork for the abundance of Grace needed to quicken our heart for the things of God. The soil is prepared for the planting of seeds that allow us to respond to God’s grace, for a grateful heart is fertile ground for the things of God.

When we open our hearts to others, with gratitude, the path is prepared for a relationship with Jesus Christ, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit will fill us with the power to live a life that is transformed by God’s Grace. We will be filled with heartfelt gratitude for all God’s gifts, and inner peace will be ours.

The preparation for sowing the seeds of the love of God, begins with responsive gratefulness. The Apostle Paul writes, “Remember, it is not you that holds up the root, but the root that holds you up (Rom. 11:18).” Any relationship with God, must begin with a grateful heart, and is cultivated by kindness and goodwill towards others.

The constant and cultivated feeling of deep appreciation and heartfelt gratitude for others quickens the soul to feel the inner need to freely and thankfully respond to God’s invitation to commune with Him.

With love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon

About the author

Fr. Tryphon is the Abbot of the Monastery of the All-Merciful Saviour, which was established in 1986 by Archimandrite Dimitry (Egoroff) of blessed memory. The Monastery is under the omophore of His Eminence Kyrill, Archbishop of San Francisco and Western America, of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia.

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