Attitude of Gratitude

1 Thessalonians 5:18 — Whatever happens, always be thankful. This is how God wants you to live in Christ Jesus.

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The person who has stopped being thankful has fallen asleep in life.
—Robert Louis Stevenson

God wants you to be thankful in all circumstances, not for all circumstances.

So what do you do when life gives you lemons? Do you run in the other direction screaming and yelling and crying for rainbows and unicorns? Or do you make lemonade?

Do you embrace the life you have and learn from the difficulties that life brings?

Do you complain as soon as something goes wrong, or are you excited to meet every challenge with a great attitude and confidence in God's ability to carry you through?

Are you actively trying to grow, or have you fallen asleep at the wheel...treating God [once again] like a genie in a bottle, waiting to make your wishes come true while you coast through life?

These are all great, self-reflective questions for anyone to ask on any day, but today (more than any other day), I hope you make time to thank God for everything you have and everyone you love—it only takes two seconds.

Father, help me to be thankful.

No matter what's happening in my life, help me to recognize the blessing in it.

In the good and bad times…in happy and sad times…when things are going well and when things aren't going so well…I just want to be thankful.

Amen.