Mahalo: Thanks be to God

Mahalo is the Hawaiian word to give thanks. Mahalo is the attitude of gratitude and the essence of a happy and thriving life.

There are two common sayings with the word mahalo:

“Mahalo nui loa” – meaning “thank you very much” and

“Mahalo ke Akua” – meaning “thanks be to God.”

Most Hawaiians know these two phrases and use them frequently. They’re part of daily life, as giving thanks should be.

Living mahalo is more than writing a gratitude list or telling someone thank you at a supermarket, although these are honorable + wonderful things to do. Living mahalo is a constant attitude of gratitude. Click To Tweet

It is knowing that there is a God, whom we owe everything to. I heard someone once say that “It would be disrespectful to God if I were ungrateful.” Mahalo is recognizing + trusting in God, that his plan and ways are greater than our own. It is knowing that he, as the creator, has given us all these things and supports us, even from one breath to another.

When it rains, as it frequently does in Hawaii, our hearts are always full of gratitude. As the sun shines, we are grateful. When we go to the beach and swim, feel the warmth of the waves, and interact with the sea animals, our hearts are full of gratitude. When we go to the mountains and hear the birds sing, the wind whistle through the trees, and the lava flowing continuously, we are grateful.

Mahalo ke Akua. Thanks be to God.

Swimming in the middle of the ocean

When I was about 16 years old, I went to a summer program called Na Pua No’eau. There were different groups in this program but my group was especially meaningful to me, because I love the ocean. We learned how to man and sail the wa’a, the Hawaiian canoe. We learned the basics of reading the stars, how to tie the knots, and how to show respect to the canoe, the ocean, and to one another.

One day, we sailed out past Hilo bay. I was so excited for this, because we’d only stayed in the bay to practice sailing, and I knew it was nothing like being out in the great wide ocean.

As we broke free of the Hilo bay wall, the ocean loomed for miles: deep, blue, wise. We sailed quite a ways, the view of Hilo bayfront looking like a postcard in the distance.

Our captain let us take a jump in the water, which we willingly did to cool off. As I floated in the middle of the ocean, knowing the water went down for miles below me and around me, I realized how tiny I was. What mother Teresa said was true, that we are just “a drop in the ocean.”

Who knew what creatures lurked in the water beneath me, or how deep it went? The water was an intense dark blue, and when I turned my body to look out at the horizon, it stretched on forever.

I felt so vulnerable. So small. My body totally exposed in this sea of unknown, my legs dangling into the unknown. It was terrifying. And, yet… so humbling.

Even though I was this tiny human being—that was so fragile physically and emotionally, that could be swallowed up in this deep blue by the water or by some creature, that I was just one person in a world of billions of people—I still mattered.

The Great Paradox

That is the great paradox… that even though we are “nothing” in comparison to the grandeur and glory of all God’s creations, we are still everything to him. We are still his greatest and grandest creation.

This perspective changed my life. God has given us everything, and yet we are nothing. God loves us with all he has, and yet we only give him back a portion of our thanks and gratitude.

To complete the quote by Mother Teresa, she said: “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”

We all matter. And, most importantly, we matter to God. Of all the things he’s given us, our time and life here is a precious gift.

We are each a part of the picture.

We all have a contribution to make.

We’re all needed.

Knowing this changed my heart. Mahalo ke Akua. Thanks be to God for all the life he gives us—the world around us, people, and even the magnificence of our own bodies. When we realize how tiny and seemingly insignificant we are in the world, we learn the value of mahalo.

Here are some other ways to live mahalo.

An Attitude of Gratitude — Save this image to share on social media!

Go out in nature

Nature is one of the world’s greatest teachers. There is no rebellion in the spirit of nature and animals. As a young adult returning to the Big Island, I used to swim laps at my favorite beach every morning, sometimes passing turtles.

The turtles taught me many valuable lessons… not that they did anything special, but their spirits were special. Their behavior, their grace, their patience taught me things I needed to do and change in my life.

Let the stars, the trees, the moon, the animals, and the sun—let nature—teach you.

Have an attitude of gratitude

It’s so easy to look at your life and see the things you lack. If someone else has a product or “thing” then we seem to immediately want that. We grow sad when we can’t get the things we want, when, really, we should be looking at what we do have.

One of the best things I’ve done for myself, especially growing up in poverty and experiencing abuse, was to look at the things I did have: I didn’t have money or control over my family situation, but I had creativity, a good brain, and the value of ho’ohana, doing meaningful work. I was so grateful for those things I had—though not physical “things.” This attitude of gratitude helped me get out of my darkest times.

Encourage selflessness in your life

I watched a video once that said ingratitude is a result of selfishness: We think we deserve more. We think we’re better than others. We think others don’t deserve what they have.

What if, instead of thinking only of ourselves, we thought more of others?

How can I serve them?

How can I be happy for them?

When we focus on service, our lives become more joyful. Serving helps us be grateful for the things we do have: our knowledge, our life, our people.

Mahalo ke Akua – Thanks be to God

Saying a prayer of thanks, and then showing our appreciation to God through our actions are powerful ways to live mahalo. Thanks be to God for the wonderful opportunity we have to live each day.

I know sometimes it’s hard to find something to be grateful for. Sometimes we think we have to dig deep to find gratitude. But it can become habitual, and the more grateful we are, the more blessings and miracles we see.

I created this Mahalo ke Akua gratitude journal to inspire you to write and reflect daily on the things you’re grateful for. With practice, this book can blossom your gratitude into a beautiful habit, a habit that no longer requires a book to record!

Mahalo for being here!

There are so many ways to implement the value of mahalo in your life. I’m sure if you’ve visited Hawaii, it feels good when people tell you mahalo. You feel appreciated. You feel seen.

Let’s give our thanks to God by living an attitude of gratitude for ourselves and all around us. We can do this!

With love + joy,

Leialoha

Get the Mahalo ke Akua Gratitude Journal