Reverence for Sacred Things
The following video discusses gratitude as an antidote for dissatisfaction. The video describes gratitude as an expression, feeling, and behavior. The video discusses ways in which we can "feel" more gratitude and satisfaction in our lives by expressing and showing more gratitude. I suggest that "reverance" is exactly how we "show" gratitude. Reverence is the scripturally defined "behavior" of gratitude.
Therefore, if we wish to feel more satisfied, positive, and grateful for someone or something, we can begin by both expressing gratitude for them, as well as showing gratitude towards them. Service is a way we show reverence to God and others.
Mos. 5:13 For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?
We may fall into a trap thinking if we are not feeling love for our spouse, it is because they aren't doing enough. We may think that the only way to feel more love and gratitude for our spouse or others is for them to do more or serve us than they are currently doing. In reality, the opposite may be true. Maybe the key to feeling more love and gratitude for another is for us to serve, express gratitude, and reverence them more than we are doing. Maybe we need to be doing more for them.
Remember that Jesus Christ loves us with a perfect love not because of anything we have done for Him, but because of what He has done for us.
A key point of the research is that gratitude affects how we interpret the intentions of others. It may be that Jesus taught His disciples to do good to them that use them and dispitefullty abuse them. This may be because in some cases, (other than outright physical abuse) we might actually mistakenly think that people are being mean to us or victimizing us when they are not. We may harbor delusions of victimization by interpreting neutral expressions and neutral responses as negative or feeling intense feelings of abandonment when others disagree with us, say no, or maintain a boundary. We may even be tempted to treat others in the same negative manner in which we feel we have been treated (eye for an eye) instead of always overcoming petceived evil with good and always treating others in the way we wished they had treated us (golden rule).
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