Gratitude That Heals the Heart and Awakens Joy
- tonytangebirah
- 9 minutes ago
- 5 min read
Last evening, the message finally came in: “The rice has arrived in Thai Nguyen.”
To my own surprise, I felt something I hadn’t experienced in a long time —a sudden rush of excitement and relief—almost a childlike joy.
The kind I used to feel when my favourite toy arrived as a kid. The kind that makes your heart leap.
I found myself smiling. Deeply, quietly happy.
Because this joy wasn’t about receiving something for myself.
It was the joy of knowing that sacks of rice were now waiting in Thai Nguyen, already in our holding area, near a community where many families struggle just to have enough to eat.
A few months earlier, when I first learned about the number of families affected by the floods, I felt overwhelmed. Watching the videos, their faces stayed with me. Their stories lingered in prayer. Slowly honest questions formed in my heart: How much can I buy? Do I have enough? Will help come in time?
As Sister Annamaria, a nun serving in Vietnam, shared updates about how cold it has been lately, the urgency deepened. The need was no longer distant—it was real, pressing, human.
And yet, step by step, grace unfolded.
Support came.
Generosity flowed.
Together, we were able to secure not just food, but warmth—small but powerful signs of God’s providence reaching His people through many willing hands.
In that moment, gratitude welled up within me—not loud or dramatic, but steady and profound.
A quiet reminder that happiness, the kind that truly lasts, so often comes not from what we receive, but from recognising how God allows us to give.
My heart was full of gratitude.
We live in a world weighed down by uncertainty—news of conflict, poverty, and division fills our screens and seeps into our thoughts.
We search endlessly for peace — through strategies, solutions, and self-help remedies —yet deep within, the restlessness remains.
Christian faith offers something beautifully simple, yet profoundly transformative: gratitude.
Gratitude shifts our gaze. It gently reorients our hearts away from fear and scarcity, and toward trust in God’s providence.
It lifts our hearts from worry to wonder.
When we pause and reflect, we begin to see that nearly everything we rely on comes through others — the food we eat, the education we receive, the kindness that sustains us in difficult moments.
Life itself is gift.
As Archbishop Fulton Sheen once observed, gratitude frees us from the “confining straitjacket of the self.” It helps us see clearly—and live more freely, with a happiness that does not depend on perfect circumstances.
Gratitude That Becomes Love in Action
True gratitude never ends in words alone. It naturally overflows into generosity.
When we recognise blessings, we feel moved to share them.
When we acknowledge grace, we respond with service.
When we see life as gift, we desire to give life away in love.
This is the heartbeat of Gebirah, a Catholic humanitarian organisation based in Singapore, serving diverse marginalised and vulnerable communities around the world—refugees, the poor, the sick, and those often unseen by society.
Every mission reminds us that charity is not driven by obligation but born from gratitude —gratitude for what God has entrusted to us, and gratitude for the privilege of serving Christ present in the poor.
Learning Gratitude from Christ and the Saints
The Gospel reveals gratitude at the very centre of discipleship.
When Jesus healed ten lepers, only one returned to give thanks—and in that moment, gratitude became the gateway to deeper healing and lasting peace.
Even more striking, on the night before His Passion, Jesus washed the feet of His disciples and then gave thanks over bread and wine, fully aware of the suffering that lay ahead. Gratitude was His response to love, even in the shadow of sacrifice.
St. Josemaría Escrivá lived this spirit profoundly. Through personal loss, illness, opposition, and hardship, he cultivated an unshakable habit of thanksgiving. He believed every circumstance—pleasant or painful—was an invitation to grow closer to God. For him, even the smallest gift was reason for joy.
Gratitude, he taught, is not a reaction to comfort; it is a decision rooted in faith.
Gratitude Lived on Mission
Mission work is sacred ground for gratitude.
It is found in small victories, patient waiting, and quiet acts of generosity.
This March, we will journey to Fang, Thailand, near the Thai–Myanmar border, where migrant families face limited access to education, healthcare, and stable livelihoods. It is a place where compassion is not optional—it is life-giving.
In April, we return to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, walking alongside vulnerable children and families through education, accompaniment, and practical support.
Each mission teaches us something essential: we go to give, but we return transformed —because gratitude grows when love is shared.
Gratitude, the Path to Lasting Happiness
Gratitude does not erase uncertainty—it sanctifies it.
It does not remove hardship, but it transforms how we carry it.
It transforms worry into trust, and concern into compassion.
It steadies the heart when answers are delayed.
It deepens joy when help arrives.
It allows us to glimpse God’s quiet work unfolding —often through generosity, solidarity, and love of supporters.
The rice, blankets and supplies are already waiting in Thai Nguyen. The journey begins soon. And in my heart, gratitude has already worked its quiet miracle—turning concern into hope, and hope into joy.
May we all learn to live this way—seeing every gift as grace and every act of service as thanksgiving made visible.
At Gebirah, we continue this journey of faith and service with grateful hearts, and we warmly invite partners, collaborators, and volunteers who may be interested to support us in our humanitarian missions.
If you feel inclined, please like, share or comment, connect and follow me at https://lnkd.in/g7abtTas
I love hearing your thoughts.
Stay tuned to find out about our next mission or humanitarian project.🔔 https://www.gebirah.org/mission-trips
Please click on the Forthcoming Missions for more information:
Timor Leste – 7 to 11 Aug 26
Ashiya, Japan – 25 to 30 Sep 26
Tamil Nadu, India – 9 to 13 Oct 26