An Attitude of Gratitude

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(Photo Credit – Flickr by labutle)


always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ~ Ephesians 5:20 (NIV)


Do you start your day with an Attitude of Gratitude?

Is your day all about you and what you want to get accomplished?

Have you taken the time today to thank the One who has given you all the blessings in your life?

I know, I know…it can be something that just “slips our mind”. We have good intentions, but life happens and we forget to stop and thank the Creator of the Universe for all the abundant blessings in our life.

Oh, you are shaking your head and saying, well, Melissa, you don’t know what my family is dealing with, or you have no idea how hard things are right now, and you know what…you are absolutely right, I don’t know, but He does. On top of that I bet that even in the midst of the trials that you are experiencing right now that there ARE things you can be thankful for. Right?

We cannot change our past. We can not change the fact that people act in a certain way. We can not change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. -Charles Swindoll


Listen friend, I am not in any way shape of form discounting what you are going through in your life right now. Believe me, I am in the midst of weathering some storms as well, but you see, I am not focused on the storms, I am focused on the One in charge of it all.

It would be very easy for me to sit back and crawl back into a pit of despair, but guess what? I’ve chosen to stop that cycle…I wake up each and everyday with an Attitude of Gratitude.

We have each been given so many great and abundant gifts. Sometimes it is just a matter of stopping the cycle long enough so we can COUNT OUR BLESSINGS. What better time to start something like that then right now.

This week as we start to celebrate THANKSGIVING let’s try something new. Let’s take some time each and every day to COUNT OUR BLESSINGS.

Each of us has things in our lives that we are thankful for, but often time take for granted. What if you and I decided to STOP taking those things for granted and started showing those we love just how much we appreciate them, starting each day with a prayer of Thanksgiving to God the Father.


The best gifts to give: To your friend, loyalty; To your enemy, forgiveness; To your boss, service; To a child, a good example; To your parents, gratitude and devotion; To your mate, love and faithfulness; To all men and women, charity. -Oren Arnold

Let’s be brothers and sisters in Christ that are just like in Colossians 2:7 (NIV) where we are “rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.”
A great way to start is by getting (or making) a GRATITUDE JOURNAL. What better way to COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS that to write them all down. This way you can keep track of the bountiful blessings in your life, as well as have something to look back on when you have those days when you feel like everything is fighting against you.

Photo Credit – Flickr by *AmandaH*

Here’s my challenge to you this week;
As we celebrate Thanksgiving take some time to start a Gratitude Journal (I’d love to see pics of them if you would care to show them to us). Take five (5) minutes EVERY day to write down five (5) things you are thankful for.

Love wholeheartedly, be surprised, give thanks and praise–then you will discover the fullness of your life.-Brother David Steindl-Rast

All it takes is a little time, and soon you too will have An Attitude of Gratitude! Much love, prayers, and blessings to you and your families this Thanksgiving! Thanks for being a part of my life…you make each and every day a blessing just by being YOU!

Enjoy the Journey,

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4 Comments

  1. Yes, I say my prayers every night in gratitude for all the blessings in my life. A gratitude journal is a wonderful idea.

    Happy Thanksgiving!
    Hugs!
    Kat

  2. I had to know that you would Kat! You are one blessed woman and I know that you don’t take any of it for granted!

    Have a great Thanksgiving!

    xoxo,
    Melissa

  3. Found you through the Inspired Room…love this post. We keep a gratitude journal, and it is a blessing!! Just today I heard the phrase “growing in the grace of gratitude.” Oh yes, that is my prayer. 🙂

  4. I have been practicing an attitude of gratitude for several years. It has changed my whole way of thinking and living. It gobbles up the negative and spits out the positive! If I had not had a heart full of gratitude to the Lord, I would not have made it through all the events of my life. Gratitude is certainly life changing! Thanks for this great post! Blessings…Lynn

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