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The Power of Gratitude

We each have lives that are busy and full of expectations and demands. We have jobs with the expectations of completing tasks and fulfilling the responsibilities we are given. We have families and relationships that want and need our time and involvement. Are you a parent with children that seem to need your attention 24/7? Maybe you are a mother and wife who works or a stay at home mom who homeschools. Are you a husband and father who work’s all day to provide for your family and comes home to find your work is not finished. We have a house that needs maintenance or repairs, a car that needs repaired. Our church has areas of service that need to be filled. There are holidays and the desire to spend time with all our family and friends. What about the desires within our own hearts and mind? Life is full of circumstances; so I ask how the circumstances of daily life affect you.

Many times we look at these circumstances and perceive that if only they would change or go away our life would be better or happier. I believe that most people connect happiness to their circumstances, if things are good we are happy; happiness is good but what about joy? In John 15 we read that Jesus tells us the promise that He will abide in us and we can abide in Him and that His joy will be in us and full. Joy is so much greater than happiness and it is rooted in our faith in Jesus and our relationship with Him. So if we are in Christ isn’t He in our circumstances? The challenge in life may not be in our circumstances but in our perception of those circumstances. How do we change our perception? Scripture tells us whenever we face trials/circumstances to consider it pure joy (James 1); Rejoice always (be joyful) give thanks in all circumstances (1Thessalonians 5), so what would happen if we went to a place of gratitude each day in all circumstances.

How would our daily life change? When we pause to remind ourselves of the many things we can be thankful for, we when remember our many blessings, those thoughts of gratitude start to fan the flames of joy. Remember when God opened the door for you to get your job, the joy you had knowing you would be able to provide. What if daily you made a decision to find something to be thankful for then speak it to yourself and others? God gave us a free will so we can choose to be grateful. Gratitude may not change our circumstances but it will change our perception of them.
What about being grateful that God loves us even when we don’t feel worthy, grateful that we can talk to God at any time and He is there. We can choose to be grateful for our relationship with Him and that through that fellowship He will provide what is missing. Can we be grateful for that special friend, that answer to a pray. Will we be grateful that God has promised us that through the testing of our faith in life’s circumstances He will increase our perseverance? Gratitude is powerful in changing our perceptions and our relationships; our relationship with God and the people in our lives.

Will you choose gratitude? Will you choose to believe the promises of God and be grateful for them? Gratitude! Put it to the test see how powerful it can be.

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