Gratefulness….it’s something we all get sick of hearing
about. It’s something we all think we
possess. It’s something we criticize others
with. But take a moment, and actually
check yourself. When was the last time
you genuinely thanked someone for what they did? When was the last time you recognized all of
the gifts you’ve been given? What if you
died today, only to wake up the next morning with only the things you thanked
God for? Interesting thought, isn’t
it? Now I know we can’t spend all night
going through a long list thanking God for what we have every day, but we can,
however, appreciate and acknowledge the gifts we’ve been given.
The truth: There
is always something to be grateful for.
First of all, if you have a roof over your head and food to
eat, that’s a gift in itself. And when
in doubt, go to the cross. God
sacrificed His life for you, and would have done it ONLY for you. Now THAT is something to be thankful for.
John 3:16…’nough
said.
For the wages of sin is death, but the
gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
The truth: Taking
time to recognize what we do have
alters our focus and perspective.
“Summing
it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating
on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not
the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse.
Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized.
Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his
most excellent harmonies.” (MSG) Philippians 4:8
The truth: Taking
time to give thanks changed me.
Last year, for one month I made it a goal to write one thing
down each day that I was thankful for.
Each day I would pray and thank God for each thing on the list. Now that might sound totally lame to you, but
it really opened my eyes to all that I have been given. At least for me, it’s
incredibly easy to lose sight of everything God has given me, and I find myself
just wanting more stuff. Taking this
challenge not only helped me break away from my natural selfish tendencies, but
it also gave me a more positive outlook.
As I’ve mentioned in a previous blog, positive thinking changes
everything.
On a final note, I understand that a lot of times I spend
blog posts telling you “why doing these things will be good for you,” but
really it’s not about that. There’s one
name to glorify and that’s God. He’s
given you and me so many things, and it’s really the least we can do to acknowledge
them!
I challenge you to try the one month goal. If you’re anything like me, it will change
your perspective big time!
Rejoice
always, 17 pray continually,
18 give thanks in all
circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17
-Tamara
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