Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you are enjoying a blessed time with family, friends and loved ones. Today is a perfect day to stop and think about all the numerous blessings we have, but living a life of gratitude should be a daily goal. God has been teaching me a lot about gratitude over the years – during the good times and during the more difficult times. It is a life-long lesson but there are seven things that have helped me cultivate gratitude. I share them on the Blessed Is She Blog. Here is a snippet:
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Photo credit: Blessed Is She
Last month I participated in a writing challenge for bloggers in which we posted 31 days in a row on one topic. I chose to write about Gratitude. It is something so simple and so needed, yet there are times when it is hard to be thankful, especially when you are stressed or carrying a heavy cross. But life without gratitude sets us down the path of bitterness and negativity. Nobody wants that!
Here are some practical things I’ve been doing to cultivate gratitude in my life:
Turn It Around – This is the simplest solution; yet, I struggle with it the most. When I am up to my neck in a messy house and the noise level in our home is about to make me explode, I have to force myself to turn it around. I have to see those dirty dishes and thank God that we have plenty of food to eat. I see mounds of dirty clothes and thank God we have clothes to wear. I look at that dirty toilet and thank God that we have running water. When the kids are driving me crazy, I recall the years I spent crying myself to sleep for want of a child of my own. Re-directing our thinking can sometimes feel weird in a Pollyanna sort of way, but eventually God’s grace helps you to find perspective as you practice the habit of gratitude.
Think of Others – When we live in our own little bubble, it is easy to get caught up in our cares and forget the bigger picture. If recent news has taught us anything, it is that there are people who are suffering unimaginable pain. When we reach out to those who are hurting we are acknowledging that we are blessed and we want to share that blessings with others. Whether it is volunteering at a soup kitchen or collecting Christmas toys for a homeless shelter, giving money to a non-profit helping refugees or bringing a meal to sick friend, we are not focused on what we want but are thankful for what we have and desire to share it with others. This is gratitude in action.
Let the Holy Spirit Do His Thing – Along the same line of “think of others,” helping out with time and money are not things we can do all the time but practicing gratitude can be turned to a missionary’s prayer…
Read the rest here.
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Have a blessed Thanksgiving weekend!
xoxo,
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