Gratitude Day 247

Wed., Apr. 10, 2019

Colossians 2:7 – Plant your roots in Christ and let him be the foundation for your life. Be strong in your faith, just as you were taught. And be grateful.

Awhile back, I began this quest to add more gratitude to my life.

I’ve read a few books about it.

I’ve written down lists of what I’m grateful for.

I’ve blogged about gratitude.

And here’s what I’ve learned.

We choose everyday whether or not we celebrate gratitude in our lives.

We have rotten days. We have good days. We have somewhere-in-between days. In all of these and more situations, we decide whether gratitude will be a part of our day. Yes, somedays it IS easier to find reasons to be grateful. Maybe I’m an eternal optimist, but I do believe every day, no matter how rotten the day may be, there is a reason to feel gratitude. Just when I think that I’m having a rotten day, I experience or hear of someone else going through a more challenging time than I am.

It’s easy to let life overwhelm us. It’s easy to assume we have it worse than everyone else we know. Whether this is true or not, we will determine if we still find something to express gratitude towards today.

Gratitude is best recognized in the small, everyday parts of life.

Recently, I was talking with a person about finding gratitude in her daily life. I encouraged her to find three things for which she is grateful every day. She came back and told me that she wasn’t sure what I was looking for. Then, I realized the situation. She was looking for gratitude beyond herself, rather than within the confines of her daily life. How do you find gratitude today? In the small, everyday ways you live your life. Don’t make it too complicated!!

The more gratitude we find, the more we see our attitudes and outlooks shift.

Let it start small. Let it grow organically. Let it be true to you. Your gratitude cannot be someone else’s. Make it your own. Be aware how you might have mission it.

May gratitude pull you back to faith in God.

Ultimately, for me, gratitude always comes back to appreciating the love I feel from God. The forgiveness. The grace. The freedom. For me, gratitude is very strongly connected to my faith. As my propensity for gratitude grows, so does my faith.

How do you feel gratitude in your life? Is it connected to faith? Can you respond with gratitude when you feel you are having a bad day? Where can you express gratitude for the normal, everyday aspects of your world today?

For gratitude beyond measure, I am grateful.

Almighty God – may I constantly look for ways that I can express my gratitude. May I never underestimate your connection to daily gratitude. Amen.

Blessings –

Dianne

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