Count Your Blessings - A Heart Like His

 

Saul searched for him every day, but GOD did not hand David over to him (1 Samuel 23:14)

What would have to change in us for gratitude to become a more ready response of ours, even in times of adversity and trouble?

Thanks come easy when all is going well. Most people tend to take for granted the good that is already present in their lives so we forget to be grateful.

It's hard to feel grateful when we get blindsided by adversity. We tend to react to with stress, negativity, tension, or anxiety rather than gratitude.  When things don’t go our way, it is important to remember that every difficulty carries within it the seeds of an equal or greater benefit.  God knows what He is doing, even if we don't.

Gratitude shifts our focus from what we lack in our lives to the abundance that is already in our lives.  I think it is interesting to note that research shows that feeling gratitude calms the nervous system, lowers blood pressure, and reduces stress. 

How have you seen thanksgiving at work in someone’s life, and what that person taught you about GOD and about yourself?

Sadly for a number of years I surrounded myself with people who were mired in pain, anguish, and helplessness.  It wasn’t because I felt superior in anyway, it was more like water seeking its own level. We were all broken and we sought out other people who were like us hoping to fix ourselves without giving thought to how impossible that was.   

When I began keeping a gratitude journal I found myself taking inventory of all the blessings GOD had bestowed on me.  I began living a happier life once I stopped taking for granted all that was around me.