April 28, 2021
Be Grateful
When I hear those words, an old cartoon comes to mind where a woman tells an orphan, “and be grateful too!” after pulling her around by her scarf. The girl waits until the woman is gone and shouts, “I am grateful; grateful to get away!” Even though that is a bit silly, my mind uses that to remind me that in all things I can find something for which to be grateful.
Sometimes when I try to pep talk myself through what is weighing me down, I hear a whisper say gently, “be grateful, this is a gift.” But my mind yells back, “be grateful? What can be good from this?”
Modifying our perception is how we teach ourselves to always find something which deserves our thanks.
I tend to start with things that ground me. Mentally, it goes like this:
I am thankful for air to breathe,
clean water to drink,
healthy food to eat,
a sturdy roof over my head,
my family, friends, pets,
a job I love and a Christian boss,
a church my children love and that makes me feel at home,
salvation and the hope of eternity with Jesus forever…
Then the list goes on and with those, I realize the setback, problem, or whatever reason for previous sadness isn’t really that important.
I have to shift my perception back to true reality. I have to ground myself back to what is truly important. My happiness is not based on my circumstances, but on my hope in Jesus. God has gifted me an amazing life and I plan to enjoy every moment of it as best I can!
An attitude of gratitude… That is what I say and what I mean!
I’m so grateful for every breath I take! Jesus, thank you for life!
Thank you for reading!
Type at you later!
~Nancy Tart