Give Thanks!

I am sitting here, in pain.  This has been a pretty normal occurrence for the past month and a half.  I was having significant pain in my lower back and finally went to the doctor for it.  I was diagnosed with scoliosis and have been attending Physical Therapy, which has and has not worked for me.  But I sit here because I have an overwhelming sense of gratefulness today.  A lot of my friends have been doing this once a day thing on facebook where they state what they are grateful for every day of November.  I don’t think that 30 would be enough days for me to go on and on…

I have been doing a lot of research on human trafficking and recalling a lot about my mission trips in the past and the conditions in which these individuals lived.  I can’t tell you how grateful I am to be sitting here in a heated home with the T.V. on, my 2 kids who are both dressed in warm clothes and fed whatever they want for breakfast sitting in the other room.  My kids haven’t been taken, if they are sick, we go to the doctor who gives us medicine, which we have enough money to use to purchase these medications.  I am sitting here with a cup of hot coffee with a luxury creamer in it and 2 yorkies at my feet.  My hideously messy toy room reminds me that we have a lot of toys to play with and my kitchen that needs cleaned reminds me that I was able to make dinner for my family last night.  My interrupting children, who usually drive me crazy, are reminding me that they are healthy enough to walk and talk and have good vocal chords.  Not to mention that I am on my computer, and although it isn’t the newest or fastest computer, it allows me to type and be connected with the world.  My husband is at work, like every Saturday, but that allows me to stay at home with my children.  Our bills are always paid and I am lucky to say that I still love my husband and he is not abusive in any way shape or form.  I got all that gratefulness just from sitting on a chair, in my front room and looking around me.  Imagine if I was really trying. Imagine if I had brought in what God has done for me?  HAHAH – I could fill up 100 pages I think.

I have dealt with a lot of people in the past who are wallowers.  They get into a situation and then they start to wallow.  They want this or that, can’t believe that this happened or that happened.  They ask me, “How do you expect me to be grateful when this is happening?” I usually respond with start by looking around you- what do you see?  Usually they will tell me what they see and we work on making that into a positive.  They aren’t allowed to say anything negative and we go from there.  It is easy to stay in the negative, and a thought in motion usually stays in motion until someone stops it.  We should have a non-stop positive outlook at not let anything stop it. 

Think about Job in the Bible.  WOW, talk about a bad spell!  But he chose to get out of the hole and continue to praise God.  There are so many verses in the Bible that are amazing and about thankfulness and gratefulness.  This is ultimately one of my favorites.

Psalm 136:1 “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good!  His faithful love endures forever.”

I can only imagine a life where I didn’t know about Jesus.  I can only imagine a day that I didn’t see him working in my life.  So, homework for today: look around you and start to be grateful.  Take 5 minutes and list everything that you are grateful for on a piece of paper.  Start with the small and simple things- you are not allowed to say something like “I am grateful for my house, although it is too small for us". No although or even though, unless you follow it with something positive like I did above.  If you faucet is leaky, turn it around- you have running water!  Try this and then keep your list.  If you start to feel overwhelmed by a negative attitude, take out your list.  If you do this for a week – and have 5-7 lists of things you are grateful for, you will see how your attitude and outlook on life will change.  After you have written your list for the day, GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD FOR HE IS GOOD!