Tag Archives: gratitude

Wise Words on Negative Thoughts

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Cloudy thoughts block the Light

Photo credit: Janet Sketchley

God’s been challenging me lately about negative thought patterns. It’s no surprise, then, that I’d start noticing other posts on the subject. Here are a few that have spoken to me this week:

Gladwell Musau points out that indulging in our own thoughts and opinions can actually quench the Holy Spirit. (Rainbow Gulf of Love: The Problem of Self)

In a post about the power of Scripture, Violet Nesdoly shows how “our own plans, ambitions, and the ways and means of achieving them (even at unspoken levels)” can keep us from God’s rest. (Other Food: daily devo’s God’s Paring Knife)

Melody Roberts gives a stiking visual illustration of the “trail of bad-attitude ooze” we can leave if we’re not submitting our thoughts to Christ’s control. (Melody Roberts’ Blog: Can I Get a Replacement for That?)

Carolyn Watts asks if we’re hurting God by the thoughts we think about ourselves. (Hearing the Heartbeat: A Surprising Way to Love God)

And Mark Shields reminds us of our weapons for this spiritual battle. (This Day With God: Weapons Against the Competition)

When Joy is Scarce

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You satisfy me more than the richest feast.
I will praise you with songs of joy.
. . .
Because you are my helper,
I sing for joy in the shadow of your wings.
Psalm 63:5,7 NLT*

Joy has been scarce in my heart lately, and I’ve felt more like David’s “parched and weary land.”

These two verses from Psalm 63 are my antidote, if I can let my mind and spirit truly believe them.

God satisfies. He is enough, and abundantly more than enough. That negates the joy-drain of discontent. I need to practice intentional gratitude, not just for His gifts but for who He is.

God helps. He is our ever-present helper and sustainer, and His strong hand holds us securely.

That truth eliminates anxiety, if I really believe it.

God who is all that I need, I believe. Help my unbelief. Help me realize, accept and rely on the truth of who You are and what that means in my life. Help me live confident and secure in You, aware of the many ways You satisfy and delight. 

∞

God used the Newsboys’ song, “The Letter,” to challenge me about believing what He says. 

*New Living Translation (NLT)Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

5 Good Posts on Gratitude

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Butterfly on lilac, with text "Thank You, God"

Photo credit: Janet Sketchley

Gratitude is more important than we realize. Here are five posts on the subject that have encouraged me recently.

Michael K. Reynolds tells us about The Easiest Way to Thank God.

At Reflections in Hindsight, Elaine Marie Cooper writes about Dwelling on the Good.

At Under the Cover of Prayer, Judith Lawrence reminds us of the value of prayers of appreciation.

At Hearing the Heartbeat, Carolyn Watts reminds us to look for God’s gifts in the moment.

And at Hope and Humor, Bob Hostetler gives us the prayer-poem, For the Day’s Graces.

Thankfulness as a Sacrifice?

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Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God,
and keep the vows you made to the Most High.
Psalm 50:14, NLT*

Usually our thanks is a spontaneous response to something that delights us. It’s sincere and heart-felt. It costs us nothing.

But is there more? In Bible times, the people of Israel had a regular schedule of sacrifices and offerings. You didn’t just sacrifice when you felt like it, although you could bring extra if you were especially thankful.

I keep a gratitude journal, but I don’t write in it every day. Not a very regular sacrifice, and it’s not that God isn’t active on those days. It’s that I forget to take notes, or more often that I forget to take note. I don’t see what He’s doing. I’ve forgotten to look.

There’s another aspect to this sacrifice: the Apostle Paul tells us to give thanks in all things. Even in the ones we don’t like and wish we’d never experienced. Ann Voskamp calls this the “hard eucharisteo” and her book, One Thousand Gifts, shows how important this intentional, teeth-gritted or tear-streaked thanksgiving is.

We may not be able to thank God for the pain, but we can always thank Him for His presence with us in it and for His power to make it count for something.

God our Shepherd, our Provider and Protector, forgive us for our ungrateful hearts and for the times we take Your gifts for granted. Open our eyes daily to see the many opportunities to give You thanks. Delight us with Your presence. And strengthen us to thank You in the hard times too.

∞

Matt Redman’s “Blessed Be Your Name” reminds us to praise in the good times and the bad.

*New Living Translation (NLT)Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Where Our Hope Is

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Let your unfailing love surround us, Lord,
for our hope is in you alone.
Psalm 33:22, NLT*

How often can we honestly say our hope is in God alone?

We rely on what He’s given: jobs, doctors, physical strength and mental abilities. It would be silly not to make full use of them—after all, isn’t that why He provided them?

But let’s remember to look deeper and see where we’re really anchoring our hope. If some or all of our resources are taken away, God will still be God, still here, still loving and powerful.

Father, help us remember to put our hope and trust fully in You and not in what You give. Teach us to recognize Your hand at work, and give us grateful, praising hearts for all You’ve done.

∞

Robin Mark’s song, “My Hope is in the Lord,” is a good reminder.

*New Living Translation (NLT)Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

butterfly

Trust

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My friend Jan Cox has dubbed this the Year of Trust.  I’m focusing on relentless gratitude, and there’s a definite cross-over. Gratitude to God reinforces trust in God.

Here are some links I’ve found helpful:

Carolyn Watts’ posts at Hearing the Heartbeat often bless me.  Here she offers a simple reminder of what trust can look like.

At Something About the Joy, Ginny Jaques shares Four Things About God that Make Life So Much Easier.

At Dreaming Big, Heather Boersma encourages us to let our words affirm our dependence on God and speak life, not death. That sounds like trust to me.

At Promises for All Who Are In Christ, Natalie Gidney lists several promises from God that define who we are in Christ. Good to memorize for when the doubts fly.

And Janice Dick reminds us of God’s protective hold on us.

Trust

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My friend Jan Cox has dubbed this the Year of Trust. I’m focusing on relentless gratitude, and there’s a definite cross-over. Gratitude to God reinforces trust in God.

Here are some links I’ve found helpful:

Carolyn Watts’ posts at Hearing the Heartbeat often bless me.  Here she offers a simple reminder of what trust can look like.

At Something About the Joy, Ginny Jaques shares Four Things About God that Make Life So Much Easier.

At Dreaming Big, Heather Boersma encourages us to let our words affirm our dependence on God and speak life, not death. That sounds like trust to me.

At Promises for All Who Are In Christ, Natalie Gidney lists several promises from God that define who we are in Christ. Good to memorize for when the doubts fly.

And Janice Dick reminds us of God’s protective hold on us.

Never Forget the Good

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Let all that I am praise the LORD;
with my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
Let all that I am praise the LORD;
may I never forget the good things he does for me.
Psalm 103:1-2, NLT*

When I’m praising God, worshipping Him, I’m most at peace. Self is lost in the wonder of who He is.

Ingratitude gets in the way and steals my focus, like the snake in the garden. There’s so much to be thankful for, but I can forget it in the face of a perceived lack or slight.

Keeping a gratitude list helps, especially if there’s a (short) daily quota, because it keeps me looking for the good instead of the bad.

Reading back through the list helps too. Remembering warms me and helps me praise God.

God our Provider, You give richly: not just materially but gifts that heal and grow our spirits. Thank You for the many ways You touch each of our lives, sometimes so personally that no one else would recognize the love message in the touch. Grow us to praise You with all that we are. Let us thrive in Your care.

∞

I know we’ve had a bunch of Matt Redman songs lately, but his 10,000 Reasons goes so well with this week’s verse.

*New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Three Good Things

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“Today is gone, it was not fun. Tomorrow is another one. Every day from here to there, funny things are everywhere.” (With apologies to Dr. Seuss’ One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish)

Certain Seuss-isms have lodged in my brain and pop out at times to bother my children. The good Doctor actually wrote “today was fun” and I tend to quote this one properly at the end of a good but tiring day. But the day in question had been stressful and I was glad to see the end of it.

Instead of his usual Seuss-induced eye roll, my 15-year-old stepped into my personal space, index finger outstretched, and challenged, “Name three good things that happened today. Fast.”

Umm.

There had been good things, not least being that although anxiety had hounded me all day I hadn’t crumpled. I was just tired of the repetitive battle.

He didn’t move. “Three good things.”

I don’t remember now which three I told him, but his moment of tough love is up there with the best things in that day.

How quickly we forget the good, or focus on the bad instead. And as Ann Voskamp says in One Thousand Gifts, even the bad can be a gift if we choose to recognize God there and continue giving thanks.

Gratitude has to be intentional. Deliberate. Radical.

For further reading:

At A Voice Crying Out into the Wilderness, Roger Tharpe reminds us of the importance of remembering the good.

At Other Food: daily devos, Violet Nesdoly affirms that gratitude is a choice.

And you’re bound to find something valuable about gratitude at Ann Voskamp’s A Holy Experience.

Relentless Gratitude

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Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.
Proverbs 4:23, NIV*

Last week, the day my Radical Gratitude post came out, I struggled with attitude all day. Shouldn’t have been surprised—after all, how can we learn to apply a lesson if there’s no practice? But practice is work and it’s easier to endure the crankiness and wait for it to go away.

When God finally got my attention and we did some business, I decided what’s needed is resolute gratitude. Even relentless gratitude.

Not just thanking God for His blessings, but thanking Him when everything inside us traitorously whispers self-pity, entitlement, discontent, blaming etc. When things are going wrong. Or when we’re just plain in a bad mood.

What’s the constant no matter how bad our circumstances?

God. He never changes.

For 2012 and forward, I want to learn to relentlessly, resolutely, regularly declare thanks for who He is. No matter what’s going on in and around me. That means not just focusing on the Light instead of the darkness but remembering what I know of Him and getting to know Him even better.

Amazing and unfathomable God, Your character alone gives us a wealth of reasons to thank and praise You. Help us set our hearts and minds on You and choose gratitude. As we trust You, open our eyes to see You more clearly in our lives. Thank You for the difference You make.

∞

Matt Redman’s “Blessed Be Your Name” expresses the intentionality of thanksgiving.

*THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.