Once, a man asked me, “Have you ever had a sleepless night?”
I said, I have indeed. There are days when the body is overworked, fatigued and so exhausted that sleep eludes us. I’m sure all of us have gone through this experience at one time or another and I am no exception.
“I’ll tell you what you can do to overcome sleeplessness,” he said to me enthusiastically. “You must count sheep.”
“I think I have a better method, my friend,” I replied with a smile. “I count my blessings instead!”
Indeed, I find I have so much to be grateful to God for! The great gift of this human birth; my wonderful parents who brought me into this beautiful world, and sowed seeds of character in my plastic mind; the members of my family, my brothers and sisters; my loving kind friends and above all my beloved Master and Mentor, Sadhu Vaswani, whose grace has been the most inspiring influence on my life.
When I count my blessings, I keep on thanking the Lord. This induces the marvellous and restful feeling that God is in His heaven and all is well with this world.
In polite circles, it is expected that people say “Thank you” for every little thing others do for their benefit. Expressing one’s gratitude is considered a mark of politeness, courtesy and good breeding.
But our gratitude must not stop with words alone. It must be expressed through actions or it will remain superficial. God supplies our every need and always keeps us under His Divine protection. This awareness will help us to feel grateful to God at every step and in every round of life.
To express this spirit of gratitude in the best possible way, we must utilise our God-given gifts as best as we can. Our body, mind, senses and intellect are amazing gifts, and we need to put them to the best possible use.
Let us learn to translate our thanksgiving into action. Let us use our God-given gifts to promote unity, harmony, peace and joy in this world. Only then we are truly thanking our Creator for this marvellous gift of human birth.
(Dada J.P. Vaswani is humanitarian, philosopher, educator, acclaimed writer, powerful orator, messiah of ahimsa, and non-sectarian spiritual leader.)
