How Gratitude Changed my Life – by Pam Nelson

Back in the early 80’s I owned a business, teaching Hobby Ceramics. Our vehicle was an early Ford Station wagon.

Coming back from a holiday with husband and 3 daughters, our car broke down in the countryside about an hour out of Invercargill. My husband and daughters went to the nearest farmhouse to phone brother-in-law for help.

I stayed with the car; it was a lovely sunny day and as I sat there, I decided to put into action giving thanks for the situation we were in. I had recently read a book called “Prison to Praise” by Merlin Carruthers which basically was about giving thanks in all situations. I thought to myself how odd to be giving thanks for breaking down in the middle of nowhere, not having the funds to get the car fixed and effecting what income I did get, but who was I to question this.

However, I decided to be obedient and sat there quietly giving thanks (gratitude) to God for the situation. I then heard an audible voice in my head saying, “Go home, look in the newspaper, there is a job for you”.

I had been out of the workforce for several years and in the meantime, computers were becoming the workplace norm.

We got home late that night, I checked the weekend paper and sure enough, there was an advertisement for an office worker. It was written in two parts, the first being the personality type they were looking for and then the job description. The personality described me, the job description was the office work I had previously done, and it was still being done manually.

I sent in my CV to the employment agency and got an interview. When I arrived the principle of the agency was a girl whom I had gone through secondary school commercial class with and was very confident that I stood a chance.

I felt in my heart that the job was going to be mine, it took a week or two for the interview to take place and in the meantime, I had worked out where the business was. The Manager of the company had been very good friends with my husband in the meat industry.

I had to borrow my sisters’ clothes to go for the interview. The interview went really well and all that needed was for the application to go before the Board of Directors.

I started that job about a month later on a really good salary that helped with vehicle expenses etc.

This was a profound shift for me, being obedient to something I had read and believed, but also the power of Gratitude both in words and in my heart. Gratitude is something that has become part of my life and the amazing things that have happened because of my belief are incredible. Never a day goes by without being thankful for the big and little things. Gratitude is a key factor in life and how we live. As time has gone on, I have come to realise that there is a Universal Law of Gratitude. Who am I to disbelieve the Universe.