“Give thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 5:20

Gratitude

I recently heard about someone that received a very generous gift, but the person complained about some of the aspects of the gift instead of being grateful. I felt so sad when I heard this. Complaining robs us of the joy of what we have received, and undermines our faith.

When I thought about this, I thought of the times when I’ve probably done the same thing through the years! The Lord wonderfully provides for me, but maybe I’m not content with the details. So I grumble. I thought of the children of Israel who had daily “manna” in the desert, but they got tired of it and complained. They began to say that it would be better for them to be back in slavery in Egypt where they had better things to eat. We are most likely all guilty of doing something similar at one time or another.

This has all been a really good reminder for me to be grateful—always! I know that I can “practice” gratefulness. I can choose it. God doesn’t “give” gratefulness to us—we choose it. It’s not a feeling—it’s a choice. I can build a habit of gratefulness. Paul said in Philippians that he had “learned” to be content! We can catch ourselves when we begin to grumble, repent of the bad attitude, and start again with hearts of gratitude…learning, like Paul, to be content.

On hard days, I have been training myself to not focus on the hard things but, instead, to thank Him for anything and everything I can think of to be grateful for. I start with the basics…having a home, having food and clothing, being able to pay all the bills, being surrounded with friends who love and help me, being able to look at the beauty of God’s creation out my window. I try to start the day with being grateful for at least one thing…and let it grow from there. In seasons when I struggled with this, I kept a gratitude journal. Every time I thought of something to be grateful for, I wrote it down. It was amazing how quickly the pages filled up.

The last few days we’ve had the most beautiful full moon at night. I’ve stood at the window looking at it and worshipped the Lord. If I’m not careful, it’s easy to miss the daily “small” things to thank Him for! I don’t want to do that. Right now we also have the most beautiful spring flowers this year. I thank the Lord continually for them as I drive around.

Being grateful is not just good for our souls and our walk with the Lord, it’s also good for our health! I read an article that listed the benefits to our body of being grateful. It reduces stress. It helps us sleep better. It improves our cardiovascular health. It boosts our immunity. These were just a few of the things that were mentioned. It makes sense that God would want to bless our physical health through the practice of thankfulness!

In a world that is filled with negativity, we can impact our own well being and also the world around us by being grateful for God’s goodness to us—in things both large and small!

Having a grateful heart gets my focus off of myself and my problems—and back on the Lord. Gratitude invites His presence into my day. It brings fresh strength as I remind myself of His goodness, His grace, and His provision. Gratitude sends the enemy fleeing because He doesn’t like worship and praise. Gratitude is a powerful spiritual weapon—and it’s also a key to releasing God’s provision into our day.

Thank You, Lord, that You provided this wonderful gift for us to choose and walk in.