Appreciating God

[76:2-3] We created the human from a liquid mixture, from two parents, in order to test him. Thus, we made him a hearer and a seer. We showed him the two paths, then, he is either appreciative, or unappreciative.

We are either appreciative or unappreciative. There is no third path. With that in mind, what is it that can cause us to slip off the path of appreciation? And what can we do to get back or be more appreciative?

Sometimes we don’t appreciate what we have in our life because we might be looking at and longing for what we don’t have. We often compare ourselves and the prevailing conditions with those who have it better than us. We find the grass looking pretty lush and green on the other side of the fence. When we are concentrating on what’s not happening in our life, or what we don’t have, then we miss all the blessings that are already surrounding us. We can become side-tracked by the wanting, needing, and having, instead of being grateful.

It quite often happens that things might not be all we thought or expected them to be and herein lies the problem. We have put an expectation on them, not an appreciation of them.

Being grateful for what’s in our life doesn’t mean we can’t reach for the stars, but don’t overlook the gifts and blessings that are already there. Because the attitude of appreciation itself will pump in positive feelings in us and help us go further.

[16:18] If you count GOD’s blessings, you cannot possibly encompass them. GOD is Forgiver, Most Merciful.

[14:34] And He gives you all kinds of things that you implore Him for. If you count GOD’s blessings, you can never encompass them. Indeed, the human being is transgressing, unappreciative.

We can carefully observe the creation and design of God and be appreciative (28:73). Say, for example, you are in a park; try to experience the pleasant and gentle breeze blowing around you. You can experience the entire colony of birds sending out a melody as they settle into the treetop lodgings for the night. As you listen to all this and enjoy the entire scene, you begin to thank God for the experience and appreciate His creation.  This will cause you to reflect upon and appreciate His perfect design and creative power. This will happen only if we take the time to remember God.

How often do we spend quality time simply appreciating God?

I’ve loved watching the sea since childhood. The vast mass of water spread all the way to the horizon looks calm from the shore.  My Dad used to take my family to the sea shore on Sundays. It is mesmerizing to watch the waves rising and falling on the rocks with the loud noise. And when these waves finally die and pull back speedily into the sea, it is yet again a beautiful sight to see the milky white foam gushing back.  As the sun sets over the ocean, it creates a magnificent backdrop of colour that fills the evening sky. This beautiful scene becomes a natural picture-postcard. I still sometimes visit the sea shore to enjoy its beauty. Looking at this magnificent creation of God, the word that comes to my mind is “Subhan-Allah” or “Glory be to God”. The following verse points to the wonderful creations of God, which exhort us to appreciate His greatness:

[2:164] In the creation of the heavens and the earth, the alternation of night and day, the ships that roam the ocean for the benefit of the people, the water

Cont'd on page 2