The Joys of Gratitude

How would your life look if you spent a few minutes each day pondering what you are thankful for?  Little things, big things, medium things, doesn't matter...  Instead of concentrating on the things that cause you angst and stress, take time to truly consider the amazing things that are worthy of your gratitude.  When you woke up this morning, you could thank God right then for another day to enjoy, to be with those you love, to share God's goodness with others.  Gratitude produces a response in us...joy, excitement, happiness.  The response that is created when we consider the things that stress us out is not one that we want to encounter repeatedly, but who doesn't want to be filled with joy when considering all the things they are grateful for?
I want to challenge each of you to take some time over the next five weeks leading up to Thanksgiving to contemplate the joys of gratitude.  Get a piece of paper or a little notebook and take time each day or once a week to record the things in your life that you are truly thankful for.  Remember to consider all angles because you might be surprised by what produces gratitude in you.  With gratitude comes joy!

Here are a few items from my list to get you thinking:

I Am Grateful For
1. My Father
2. My husband
3. My four living children
4. My two children in Heaven
5. My parents
6. My brother
7. My home
8. The ability to read
9. My five senses
10. My Bible
11. Our car
12. My husband's job
13. Being a homeschool mom
14. The colors of Fall
15. Miracles
16. Food to eat

There are sooooo many more things that I'm grateful for, but this was just a little list to get you thinking.  I hope your list helps you to have the joy of gratitude in your daily life instead of the stress of so many other things.

Comments

  1. JulieOctober 16, 2017 at 9:16 PM

    Good thoughts. Sometimes at bedtime, I have each of the kids tell me something that they're thankful for from that day. It really makes a big difference in their attitudes when we consistently do that exercise. This reminded me that I need to get back to that!

    ReplyDelete

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