I think what most of us get wrong about gratitude is we believe the source of our gratitude emanates from things, both tangible and intangible, that we possess. Right?

So many of us take stock of our lives and think, “Well, I have a beautiful house; my family is healthy; we have plenty of food; and I even have productive, fulfilling work. I am blessed!”

The reality, though, is the source of true gratitude comes from recognition of the one inexplicably beautiful life we are given.

In my humble experience, those very few who are unequivocally intertwined with the true source of being in this universe — call it God, if you will, like I do — their gratitude comes from the knowledge they have only today to live, to breath, to care for others, to honor this gift.

Admit it: Many of us know someone so truly divine, their being transcends this earthly world. They appear to dodge rain drops and slow time with their will. Their connection to the one essence of all that exists sets them apart from the rest of us.

It’s those folks whom I truly admire and who inspire me!

And you know what? … Many of those wise folks I’ve met … I’ve met at our emergency shelter, supportive housing apartments or our food pantry.

That’s no joke! … You want to experience bonafide gratitude, hang out with your neighbors at the places who serve your community’s most vulnerable people.

There you’ll receive a master’s class in gratitude. There you will meet many who understand the one gift we are given is today, and the only true currency we have is our relationships.

Jesus hung out with many whom others deemed “untouchables.” Tax collectors, prostitutes, those who were ill, foreigners, gentiles. The list is long.

Sure, some of these interactions were “unplanned,” but look at how often Jesus intentionally sought out these folks. And I think that has a lot to do with who they were, and the universal wisdom they possessed.

These were the folks who’d been in the crucible, and yet they had a better understanding of what gratitude is then all of those in the Jewish landed class or the Roman Empire.

Friends … all the cutesy “blessed” sayings aside, to truly understand gratitude we’d do well to do two things this Thanksgiving season.

First, spend a healthy amount of time studying Matthew 5:1-11, which is known as “The Beatitudes.”

And second, go spend some time with the most vulnerable people in your community.

In terms of both exercises, I promise you’ll come away with a much different understanding of where gratitude originates. Amen.

Devlyn Brooks is the CEO of Churches United in Moorhead, Minn., and an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America serving Faith Lutheran Church in Wolverton, Minn. He blogs about faith at findingfaithin.com, and can be reached at devlynbrooks@gmail.com.