Life has been crazy lately! So much to do, fight against, and come back from. You can easily find your prayer time turning into a list of complaints or a crying session. But yesterday as I was praying, I was reminded that there is a way to counteract the weight of challenge, struggle, and frustration: gratitude. Did you know that if you shifted your thoughts away from everything that has stressed you to what is right in your life, your whole mood can change? Think about it! I can spend an hour thinking about my financial situation, asking why I don’t have more money or how I am going to pay a bill. But when I start to think about how I had food to give my children for dinner and I had somewhere to lay my head last night and some lights, my mind begins to clear. Not enough for you? You might have gotten a hard diagnosis and the stress of taking medicine has started getting to you. What if you start thinking about the fact that you are still breathing, you aren’t pulling an oxygen tank and even if you are, you can see another day and there’s still an opportunity for life. Maybe your marriage has been a mess and you want to walk away from it all. Instead of thinking about the bad, thank God for the fruit. Did you get a beautiful child? Did you travel the country or the world? Did you have a lovely home?
"I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.” Ps. 9:1
You see, gratitude doesn’t erase what was wrong but it reminds you of the importance of what is right. The Bible is filled with verses about giving thanks because the Lord is deserving of it. He loves it when we give it to Him and when we walk in it. Why? Because He is good! The psalms encourage us to enter His gates with thanksgiving! That means that He wants to be greeted with your gratitude and not your attitude! Come on, saints! Will you shift your thoughts today? Will you come out of that funk and worship? Will you let go of that frustration and praise? Give Him 30 seconds of intentional thanksgiving for what He has done in your life and I guarantee you will see more to thank Him for than complain about! Watch…
Thank You, Lord! You are amazing and patient and kind to me! Thank You for not giving up on me! Thank You for keeping my mind! Thank You for showing up when people forgot! Thank You for loving me on my worst days! Thank You for giving me life! Thank you for my family & my friends! Thank you for being everything I need and more than enough! Thank You, Lord!
You try it now because I’m about to shout…I promise you will feel better!
Amen…