Agradecimento pela vida: o dom de respirar e existir

O dom do fôlego que sustenta o dia

Agradecer pela vida começa no instante em que você para e percebe a própria respiração. Estar vivo hoje não é obra do acaso nem do próprio esforço, mas de um sopro contínuo que Deus renova a cada instante.

Antes de qualquer palavra ou afazer, o corpo já recebe o sustento divino. No silêncio de quem se recolhe, o simples ato de respirar se torna a primeira oração.

6 Everything that has breath shall praise the Lord.

Praise the Lord!(Psalm 150:6)

13 For You created my innermost parts;

You wove me in my mother’s womb.

14 I will give thanks to You, because I am awesomely and wonderfully made;

Wonderful are Your works,

And my soul knows it very well.

15 My frame was not hidden from You

When I was made in secret,

And skillfully formed in the depths of the earth;

16 Your eyes have seen my formless substance;

And in Your book were written

All the days that were ordained for me,

When as yet there was not one of them.(Psalm 139:13-16)

33 I will sing to the Lordas long as I live;

I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.

34 May my praise be pleasing to Him;

As for me, I shall rejoice in the Lord.(Psalm 104:33,34)

Quando a vida renasce da angústia

A gratidão mais profunda costuma brotar dos dias em que as forças pareceram se esgotar por completo. Quando o peso da caminhada silencia os planos, reconhecer que Deus sustentou os seus passos transforma o medo em alívio sereno.

1 I will exalt You, Lord, for You have lifted me up,

And have not let my enemies rejoice over me.

2 Lord my God,

I cried to You for help, and You healed me.

3 Lord, You have brought up my soul from Sheol;

You have kept me alive, that I would not go down to the pit.(Psalm 30:1-3)

58 Lord, You have pleaded my soul’s cause;

You have redeemed my life.(Lamentations 3:58)

6 "I descended to the base of the mountains.

The earth with its bars was around me forever,

But You have brought up my life from the pit, Lord my God.

7 "While I was fainting away,

I remembered the Lord,

And my prayer came to You,

Into Your holy temple.(Jonah 2:6,7)

O reconhecimento do que sustenta o cotidiano

No ritmo veloz das tarefas, a mente se inclina a notar apenas o que ainda falta construir ou resolver. A Escritura convida a pousar os pés no chão, contemplar o alimento à mesa e lembrar quem é a fonte de cada dia vivido.

10 When you have eaten and are satisfied, you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land which He has given you.(Deuteronomy 8:10)

3 Know that the LordHimself is God;

It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;

We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

4 Enter His gates with thanksgiving,

And His courtyards with praise.

Give thanks to Him, bless His name.(Psalm 100:3,4)

7 How precious is Your mercy, God!

And the sons of mankind take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.

8 They drink their fill of the abundance of Your house;

And You allow them to drink from the river of Your delights.

9 For the fountain of life is with You;

In Your light we see light.(Psalm 36:7-9)

Uma existência guardada em Cristo

Agradecer pela existência é acolher não apenas os dias de sol, mas a graça invisível que envolve cada respiração. A vida encontra repouso quando descansamos na certeza de que estamos guardados nas mãos do Criador.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,(Ephesians 1:3)

12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.

13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation: 16 for by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, or dominions, or rulers, or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him. 17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.(Colossians 1:12-17)

15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!(2 Corinthians 9:15)

1 I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart;

I will tell of all Your wonders.

2 I will rejoice and be jubilant in You;

I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.(Psalm 9:1,2)

1 Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord, my soul!

2 I will praise the Lord while I live;

I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.(Psalm 146:1,2)

20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to our God and Father;(Ephesians 5:20)

Oração de agradecimento pela vida

Respire fundo e solte a pressa por um instante antes de falar com Deus:

Senhor, eu paro agora e respiro na tua presença. Obrigado pelo fôlego deste dia, pelo corpo que me sustenta e pelo teu cuidado silencioso que nunca me deixou faltar o essencial. Onde houve cansaço, tu foste abrigo; onde houve incerteza, tua mão me sustentou. Recebe a minha existência como ela é hoje, com suas alegrias e suas fragilidades. Eu descanso em ti e te agradeço pelo simples dom de viver. Amém.