This seems to be the topic of conversation around here a lot. I am just now realizing the importance of being grateful in EVERY circumstance. I used to be annoyed at people sometimes when they would still see the positive in their car being totaled or during something tragic but God works everything out for good for those who love Him (Romans 8:28)...so why not be grateful in every circumstance? We have the Creator of the universe who loves us so much that He sent His only Son for us as an atonement for our sins. I am extremely blessed in all areas of my life...so why miss a moment to give praise to the one who knit me together in my mothers' womb? I was first challenged with this during Tim Sanders' talk to us staff last week and how we should spend the first 10 minutes of our day giving thanks to God for things in our lives. I tried it this past week and I have found more joy throughout my day. I have been more happy to get up and go to work where I have faithful leaders pouring extreme wisdom into my life daily. I get to work for this woman named Jamie who might be the funniest/girl version of myself devoted to helping lead the next generation into a loving relationship with Christ. When the first thing you do in the morning is thank God for the countless blessings you have, it becomes hard to be grumpy, upset, and negative. You begin to remove thoughts of hatred and start enjoying life a little more every day. You begin to have more faith in a God who wants you to ask Him for impossible things so that His glory may shine through you. God has promised to supply all my needs according to His riches in Jesus Christ (Philippians 4:19)...I have everything I've ever needed so why not be more grateful?? If I seek first Christ and His Kingdom...all these things will be added to me (Matthew 6:33). Being grateful is contagious and we need to start showing God how thankful we are for the many riches He has given each of us.
At work today, I was able to listen to Pastor Steven preach to the staff of a church thanks to live web feed. He gave five points about being grateful that I want to share with you and challenge you with.
1) Gratitude is never invisible or silent - our gratitude will be shown through our actions and our words (Matthew 12:34 - the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks). If our heart is grateful towards God and the people He has put us around, it will show...food for thought! Unexpressed gratitude is a chance missed to praise God. Delayed gratitude is lost opportunity.
2) Gratitude sustains joy and blessing in your life - stop using for evil what God meant for good.
3) Gratitude begins where my sense of entitlement ends - it's impossible to be grateful when I feel like I deserve something. Do we forget that we all deserve death and eternity apart from our Creator?
4) Gratitude is not based on how your situation is, it's based off how your situation is to you - If we start seeing the positive in everything, we will have a greater affect on reaching people for Christ. We will be more aware of our opportunities to bless someone with kind words or acts of service in the name of Christ. Other people in other countries are so much less fortunate than us. Yet both in Guatemala and Africa, those people had greater happiness than I ever did and they literally lived in a tin or clay shack. Our circumstances is an opportunity for us to thank God...even in times of heartache and tragedy.
5) Gratitude will make you magnetic for the favor of God in your life - like they taught me in seminary, ministry is caught not taught. If your life resembles Christ, people will pick up on it. Always looking at the glass completely full is tough in some situations but it will be more contagious and effective than you think.
Are you praising God enough? Are you thanking Him for the countless blessings, the trails which are actually blessings in disguise, and have you learned to praise Him in advance for answers yet to come?
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