Icebergs are mostly under water. Only the top part is visible, and that’s usually only about a tenth of its total mass. So it is with gratitude. The grateful words you say out loud are the visible part -- the part above the surface. But most thanksgiving happens below the surface, in your thoughts. If you’re going to cultivate the habit of gratitude, you have to be intentional about your thought life, because that’s where all your words are born.
Here’s a baby step: Pay close attention to your thoughts for a day. If you hear a lot of “poor me” and “no fair” and “if only” and “why me,” try substituting a few thank-yous.
“Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.” Matt. 12:34.