A grateful heart is something we should be constantly working on. Whether at work or home, towards family or friends, gratitude is an essential quality.
I remember growing up, whenever one of my siblings or I would struggle with complaining, we were often instructed to write thank you notes. This simple task helped shift the focus from complaints to helping us be thankful for our numerous blessings.
And the same is true today. Whenever I find myself in a rut and feeling cranky about life in general, I remember my upbringing and start finding things to be grateful for. I might not always sit down and write a note, but expressing my gratitude to others or taking it to God in prayer is a powerful reminder of just how blessed I am!
Switch the Scenario
If I have learned nothing else lately it is that your perspective is incredibly powerful. We get to choose how we take something – whether we complain or find something to be grateful for. Remember the difference the simple wording of “I get to” instead of “I have to” makes?
Sometimes we have triggers of sorts, knee jerk responses to some scenarios. But what if we identified them and then changed those automatic responses? What if we could wrap our mind around the idea that God works all things for our good? That’s not most things except for the things that are inconvenient and annoying. What if you really stepped back from whatever situation seems to test you every single time? Search it out until you find a way to be grateful for it!
I’ve done this and it works, though I’ll tell you it comes together in ways I confess I don’t anticipate! At one point, I found myself dealing with a difficult employee. I worked to do what I’m telling you to do. I thanked God for the ideal employees He sends and I asked Him to weed out the ones that weren’t the right fit. True, I can fire a person, but I far prefer it when He orchestrates things so that we part things more amicably and I don’t have to!
Weeks went by and I continued my prayer and asked for wisdom on how to deal with this situation. I thanked Him for providing exactly who He wanted at the shops and asked for wisdom to be a good boss. And then one day something completely unexpected happened. One of my seemingly most helpful employees gave her two weeks notice. And the employee that had been struggling and I had a serious talk.
I never expected in all my prayers that the one who left needed to go. And the serious talk I had with the other worked wonders! I could have let the difficulty of it all weigh me down and make me dread work – and honestly, I fought to not let it! I found that yet again, choosing prayerful gratitude that God was sorting through it all for me and giving me wisdom on how to proceed set me up for His perfect – though unexpected – provision!
Blind Faith
Faith is so interesting to me. I know it’s the substance of things hoped for and not seen, and since it’s not visibly obvious right in front of you, I’m guessing that’s why they call it blind. And yet, if you think about it for a moment, there’s nothing blind about it at all! Consider all the times you can recall where God showed up for you, protected you, provided for you, made a way when there didn’t seem to be one, etc.
Perhaps blind faith should be re-dubbed weak faith, because it’s on our end where the discrepancy lies. But simply considering a handful of the numerous times God has made a way prior to this, having a grateful heart towards Him and His incredible plans, and reminding ourself that He will take care of things all over again. God never fails. His faithfulness never fails. It is our faith in Him is that struggles.
This is why gratitude over grumpiness or complaining is so important! We have the incredible ability to reframe situations, to switch the scenarios in our heads and choose a grateful heart! Think what a difference this will make to our attitudes and to the way we serve God!
Consider and begin to believe that difficult situations are simply an opportunity to grow closer to God. Unknowns and struggles aren’t attacks, they are potential to train you to have a stronger faith! God never fails, so why would we wonder if He’ll bring us through? Our prayer and expectancy should instead be top tier!
What if, with grateful hearts, we thanked God for making a way, shared our best expectations of the situation, and then hoped for that while also being aware that whether God’s answer be this or something else, it would be even better than what we imagined? I cannot imagine a more grateful, expectant way to anticipate God to answer my prayers!
Until Next Time!
Hope.