There are a few positive emotions that play an important role in our personal development and happiness. Love and forgiveness are two of the most important ones, but I find that thankfulness might be one of the most underrated traits in today’s world full of competition (you always want more), when we tend to take for granted all personal achievements or take credit for most collective successes.

The Bible gives several examples of great men expressing thankfulness—and most notably, the psalmist. But the book with the highest concentration of thanksgiving language is the book of Colossians (9 mentions in 4 chapters), followed by 2 Corinthians (16 mentions in 13 chapters).

If I were to choose the most complete Bible text on thankfulness, it would be 1 Thessalonians 5:18 which urges us to be thankful in everything in all circumstances. But since the number of pages in the Youth Messenger magazine is limited, we chose to focus on some of the most common ordinances, practices and activities our church encourages the young people to be thankful for, especially as we near the end of another year.

Enjoy!

- Adrian Finaru