Live With Gratitude

Thanksgiving begins in the mind and then trickles into the heart from where it begins to transform everything it touches. If you are struggling to stay positive and upbeat as you follow Christ, it may be time to do a heart check. You do that by examining yourself and seeing if there is anything that has been disturbing you. Once you detect that, you need to ask God to help you pivot and look for anything good that came out of that situation. You can be one hundred percent sure that there will be something good that comes out of even the worst of situations. Once you identify the good thing, ask God to keep showing you areas in your life where you are ungrateful. Replace each of those things consciously with gratitude for who God was to you in those situations.

The psalmists most often began their songs with gratitude and thanksgiving irrespective of their situations because of who they knew God to be. Even if the song was a lament, there was always a sense of gratitude for who God was in the midst of all the sorrow. This is a good reminder for every follower of Christ, irrespective of age, season of life and gender, to cultivate a heart of gratitude that brings forth fresh life even in the most barren seasons of our lives. Even if you can’t find anything to be grateful for, you could take your eyes off yourself and onto Jesus. When your focus shifts to Him, you will find there is more to be grateful for than you ever imagined. Salvation is one such blessing that we can never take for granted. The constant comforting presence of Jesus is another. What about the living and powerful word of God? The list could go on. What are you waiting for? Start thanking God and see how your perspective shifts.

Tip:

Start a daily habit of journaling the things you are grateful for. You’ll be surprised at all the little and big things that God blesses you with.