I've been learning from my daughter recently. She has been posting Gratitude Updates on her Facebook page. Usually they are pretty funny, because if you read between the lines, you realize she's not all that thankful. But she has chosen to find the blessing in every circumstance by practicing the giving of thanks.
It's the beginning of a new week. In light of everything the Lord has done for us, I wonder if a bunch of Gratitude Updates wouldn't be appropriate...and helpful.
I think my daughter is learning that the practice of gratitude has its own reward. The more we practice gratitude, the more thankful we become. That's because our emotions follow our thinking. How we think determines how we feel. For example, have you been to a scary movie lately? If so, you sat in the theater gripping the armrests of your seat, or the arm of the person next to you. Your heart rate increased as the music grew louder and the impending danger rushed (or inched) closer. You felt the fear. Yet you were seated in a plush, air-conditioned room with 100 other secure viewers watching a story that was acted out hundreds of miles away 12 months ago. You were completely safe, but your palms were sweaty and your face lost color. All because your emotions followed your thinking.
When Paul writes to the Philippians about gratitude, he does not tell them to be thankful. It's unrealistic to command an emotion. Rather, he says, "In every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" (Philippians 4:6). He tells the Philippians to practice giving thanks. In the practice of giving thanks, the emotion of thankfulness follows.
I know Thanksgiving (The Holiday) is far away still. But what can your mind tell your soul to give thanks for today?
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