Gratitude

I really love this time of year!! I love changing seasons and what the "new" brings. I shared with you guys a couple of weeks ago about Fall finally making it here. Well, that lasted a whole week and we’re back to heat and humidity down here in south Louisiana. But that short-lived cool snap was just enough to bring out all the Fall vibes. Chai sourdough loaves, veggie soup and jalapeno cornbread, deer tips with rice & gravy and Granny’s yeast rolls with Kerrygold butter–all the warm, homey, feel good meals.

It’s the time of year when people’s minds start moving toward thankfulness and gratitude, knowing that Thanksgiving is upon us. I remember a trend on facebook a few years ago where people posted something they were grateful for every day for the month of November. I’ve seen gratitude journals become a new trend over the past few years, where you write maybe three things you’re thankful for every day. And although these things seem to be new trends because some doctors and psychologists said it was helpful for depression, emotional and social well-being, and can even improve your overall health, God’s Word has been telling us this for years.

Here are a few verses that talk about gratitude & thankfulness, and how it changes us. 

One of my favorites in these is–

Philippians 4:6–”Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

It’s interesting to me that he talks about thanksgiving and anxiousness in the same verse. He tells us to present our requests to God with thanksgiving. When we begin with thankfulness, our minds automatically begin to shift into a different perspective. Our perspective is no longer on ourselves or our worries, but we’re now thinking about God and His goodness and faithfulness. If I get to a place where I feel like the Lord isn’t answering my prayers or doesn’t hear me (and I know I’m not the only one here) I begin to think back to all the things He’s done for me. It’s hard to be negative, depressed, and anxious when I remember who He is and what He’s done. I’ll lead you in a simple little prayer of gratitude...

Lord, I thank you that you are the great I AM. You are the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. You are the Alpha and Omega. You are Emmanuel. You are Father. You are friend. I thank You that You are who you say You are, and You don’t leave us or forsake us. You are truth. You are healing, provision, strength, peace, love, joy, fullness. Thank You that You brought me out of darkness and into the eternal light of Your kingdom. Thank You for Your mercy and grace. Thank You for Your love You’ve lavished upon me. Thank You for (place your own situations here) providing for my family when we couldn’t, for healing my body, for placing me in a loving church family, for being my protection and my defender. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Now that we’ve thanked Him for who He is and given thanks for what He’s done in our lives, we can go make our requests known to Him in faith and have peace in our hearts. 

Another verse I love is Colossians 3:15–”Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.”

And once again, thankfulness and peace are found in the same verse. Seems like there's a lesson here…

1 Thessalonians 5:18–”give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Colossians 4:2–”Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”

1 Chronicles 16:34–”Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”

Psalms 100:4–”Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”

Thankfulness paves the way to changing our perspective and seeing things from a different lens. If thankfulness has never been a practice for you, I encourage you to give it a try and see how it changes you. 

I'll leave you with three things I'm grateful for today--

1. I’m thankful for Jesus and His sacrifice. Because of that, I can go straight to the throne room and talk face to face with my Father. I can sit with Him and hear His voice as He leads and guides me and I can simply enjoy His presence. 

2. I’m thankful for my family and the heritage of Godliness passed down from my parents. I have the most wonderful husband, kids, and grandbabies. And so many extra friends who have turned into family. I’ve become mama and Gigi to so many more than I gave birth to and it's a joy to say the least.

3. I’m thankful for God’s creation. I love sitting outside in the morning with a cup of coffee at our house in central Louisiana with only the sound of birds chirping and leaves rustling through the trees. I love sitting on the sandy shore of the beach and listening to the waves crashing and feeling the salty breeze across my face. I love driving through the mountains and getting out to feel the cool, crisp mountain air as I take in all the beauty. Nature seems to bring us closer to our Creator and I’ll always be thankful for that. 

Oh, and a fourth one this week. I’m thankful that our great nation still has some values and morals. And I’m hopeful that we’ll begin to see our country get healthy again–mentally, physically, and spiritually.

What are you thankful for today? 

All my love, 

Angie