It’s the season of thankfulness but you might not be feeling super thankful right now. I know there’s been a lot of heaviness in the news lately. Maybe your family was affected by the government shutdowns, maybe you’re grieving the loss of a loved one, or maybe you’re just feeling overwhelmed by life in general.
It can be so hard to find the positive when everything around you feels negative… When the bills keep coming, the bloodwork keeps saying things no one wants to hear, the kids seem to be pushing every boundary you’ve ever laid out… I get it and God gets it too.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 it says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” and you’ll notice it doesn’t say “rejoice when you feel like it” or “give thanks only when life is good.”
Why would God say that when He understands how hard life is? Because He knows how good thankfulness is for our souls, our hearts – our entire well-being!
Scientists have proven this over and over again in so many studies. One study found that people who keep a gratitude journal have a significant drop in diastolic blood pressure, another one found that higher levels of gratitude produce lower levels of depression. Many have seen the impact that gratitude has on turning down that flight or fight response and even more have proven that focusing on thankfulness during the day promotes better sleep at night. And my favorite benefit of all is that it brings us closer to God.
So can we try something together? This is my favorite way to practice thankfulness especially in times of trial. We’re going to start each day asking God this simple request, “Lord, I know you’re blessing me constantly, help me to have my eyes open and focused on seeing your favor today.” Every time I ask this, God is so faithful to show me all the little and big things He’s doing for me all day long.
Then I write them down as I see them and thank God for being so good to me! I used to carry a notebook but now I just type them in my phone notes! At the end of the day or week or month, you go back and read over your notes and you’ll see how amazing God is, how faithful He is and how much you have to be thankful for even in the middle of chaos.
Thankfulness builds trust in God. When you see how faithful God is in all these little ways all day, you realize He’s going to be faithful in the big things too.
So let me give you a head start: you woke up this morning with breath in your lungs and that means God’s still got beautiful purpose for your life.
Feel free to share some more blessings you see along this journey! I can’t wait to see how God works through this thankfulness!
Kristen James
Morning Show Host, STAR 101.5 | Listen
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