How To Have An Attitude of Gratitude

Tomorrow is thanksgiving. A day that we as a nation set aside to be thankful. Make no mistake. Tomorrow is a religious holiday, and here is why- if you're not thankful to God for what you have, or what has happened in your life, who are you thankful towards?

I am very thankful this year. God has richly blessed our family, and our ministry and I have no complaints.

For some reason, people seem to start to struggle with this time of year. I think that it is natural to take a mental inventory of where you are at, and for some people it can be a bit painful. This can be a time of year with pain and regret.

Pain and regret can be natural emotions when you have been through a challenging time in life. There is truly only one way to be thankful in the midst of trials and circumstance- we must focus on what we have, not on what we do not have. It is a fruitless exercise to take a mental inventory of what you don't have. It is very beneficial to think about what you do have.

If you're reading this blog- you have eyes. That is something to be thankful for. If you can read this- it means you can read, that is something to be thankful for. There. Two things you can be thankful for, that you can read, and that you have eyes, now you're on your way.

Here's an exercise that I want to encourage you to take this year. Take a few moments and sit down and write the most mundane things that you can think of to be thankful for. Take that list, and pray it to God. Tell him that you are thankful for those things. Thank him that he has blessed you with those things.

Thanksgiving isn't about turkey and pie. Its about the realization that there is a Creator that has blessed us and taking the time to be thankful for it.

Be blessed this Thanksgiving.
Matt