The more I practice thankfulness, the more sustainable joy I feel. With eyes that are trained to see God’s goodness and a heart that is set on gratitude, I find that I am better able to manage life’s disappointments and setbacks.
For example, just yesterday I was noticing stoplights.
Sometimes you have a green light day where everything runs smoothly, and sometimes you don’t. I have almost an hour commute to work in the morning, and yesterday all the lights were green. I was amazed at how much quicker my drive in was – and how much less stressful. So I decided to thank God for it – and to remind myself of the blessing of an all green light commute.
Oh, I have no doubt that red light days will happen again, but by thanking God for the green lights, I have put a wonderful memory in my treasury that I can pull from.
Putting things in a Thankfulness Bank is something that I teach to those I mentor. When my mentorees call me to tell me of something marvelous God has done, I rejoice with them and then tell them to write it down in their Thankfulness Notebook. This way, when the days of struggle come, they can wave their Thankfulness Notebook in a glory and praise to God and remind themselves of His blessings.
Practicing thankfulness can be done anywhere and in any circumstance.
For example, when I went on my lunchtime walk, I noticed that the vertigo I had been dealing with was completely gone. So I thanked God for no longer having to deal with the falling sensation that vertigo brings. But I also thanked Him for allowing the vertigo in the first place because it made me so much more grateful for my non-dizzy days – something I had taken for granted.
The more I practice thankfulness, the more aware I become of how very much our gracious Lord has loaded me with benefits. (Psalm 69:18)
Like the famous poem by Earl Vickers:
I once had no food to eat,
Then I met a man who had no teeth.
I once had no shoes to wear,
Then I met a man who had no feet.
What about you? How do you practice thankfulness in your life?
Let’s talk about it.