Nehemiah 8:10 – The Joy of the Lord is your strength.
All of life is made up of a series of choices. Some choices are better than others. Gratitude is a healthy choice, one that not only benefits you but also others around you. When you experience gratitude and express appreciation to others, you are taking the opportunity to relate with them, practice empathy, and demonstrate kindness for yourself and others.
How much more is it, then, when you express gratitude to your Heavenly Father. Just telling Him how you thank Him for the blessings He has given, for the grace He has bestowed, can take you out of feeling grumpy and sorry for yourself into a realm of praise that can carry through the day.
If you are not feeling grateful—and it is an expressed feeling—ask yourself why. Look beyond the surface of your circumstances to what lies beneath. Ask God to reveal to you what He wants you to learn…but be careful, He might take you up on it in unexpected ways, sometimes ways that hurt, showing where your heart has not been right toward Him or toward others. Accept His response and find true gratitude in having received it.
Pray With Us
Heavenly Father, You are so good. Indeed, Your mercies are new every morning. Forgive me for getting so caught up in myself and in the situations around me that I fail to see Your presence and Your blessings in my life. Change my heart and my focus. Let me praise You. Let me be satisfied in the knowledge of You and Your Son, Jesus, in Whose Name I pray,
Amen.
