Because it works! Period! It is a not so secret but deadly weapon that we don’t wield often enough. It is a fragrance that we don’t inhale often enough. It is that suave, refreshing ocean breeze that we definitely don’t allow to soothe us… often enough.
The mind is a powerful place. It is the battlefield of all battlefields. If you can control what enters and exits, you will have better control over your life. Gratitude is not ignoring the real issues that you are facing. However, gratitude keeps you at peace as you go through.
Does it have to be a journal? No! Do you have to make a status on WhatsApp or a post to Twitter, or Facebook about it? Do you have to put in your Instagram story? No. In whatever way you choose to express your gratitude, just do it. Do it authentically and do it often.
I find that the more I continue to walk in healing is the easier it becomes for me to be grateful. The more I see myself the way God sees me, the easier it is for me to remain grateful. The more I enjoy peace in God, the peace of God and peace with God, the easier it is for me to live gratefully.
Gratitude for me is more often a quiet exercise. I have done the gratitude posts and I have journalled about it. Nevertheless, I find that in a quiet moment driving or walking or just being alone with my thoughts (that I have finally learned how to shut off, and not overthink all the time), that, that is when spontaneous gratitude flows.
The longer I live and the more I experience, the more I have to be grateful for. I am grateful that I am no longer as miserable as I used to be. I am not broken anymore. I am so grateful for how God really does beautify the meek with salvation. I am grateful for my process and the spirit of influence that operates on my life. I am grateful that I get to share my thoughts with all of you who read. I am grateful that I have readers who enjoy what I write. I am grateful I took the risks I have taken in spite of being so afraid. I am grateful I am not who I was last year, last month, last week, yesterday, two minutes ago when I started writing this blog…
Not that I am ungrateful or don’t deem my accomplishments as important and things to be grateful for…but the longer you live, the more that list of important things and people changes…I am grateful for that as well…for maturity and for knowing where my true identity lies…
Of course I am grateful for my family, friends, mentors, advisors…they know it too, as I tell it to them often…
Even as I end what I thought was going to be a very short blog, I can’t help but smile. I don’t have all that I want, or even need, but I have learned to obey God’s command that says in everything, give thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:18).
So, what are you grateful for? No, I don’t want the trite cliche of an answer…think about it…breathe in and breathe out…then, answer me…
How do you express gratitude? What are you grateful for?
GMW