Gratitude in the good times and the bad

It is officially the week of Thanksgiving! It is crazy how fast this year is flying by. In honor of Thanksgiving, I thought I would write a blog post about gratitude. Let's get right into it!

I find that gratitude is the missing piece of the puzzle a lot of people forget about in their walk with Jesus. It's so easy to be grateful and happy in the good times when you're living answered prayers. It's easy to say "Thank you Jesus" when you got the job you wanted or the relationship you've prayed for. But what about the times when you're really down? What about the times when you're so frustrated with how your life is going and don't know what to do anymore? Are you thanking Him then? Probably not. I struggle with this too, don't worry. It's so easy to share your requests to the Lord when things are going bad. And we tend to also forget the times that were good during the bad. We forget the answered prayers and the good things He has given us. We focus on the bad and pray that He will fix it ASAP. But here's the thing, gratitude should be a daily practice in our walk with the Lord.

Did you know that gratitude is the antidote for anxiety? When you start feeling anxious, start listing out to the Lord all of the things you are grateful for. Your anxiety will slowly start to go away when you do that because anxiety and gratitude cannot coexist. One of my favorite verses is Philippians 4:6 which says "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." I think we forget the "with thanksgiving" part, which is such an important piece to the puzzle. I myself need to come up higher in practicing daily gratitude in both the good times and the bad. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." It says "in ALL circumstances."

If you can't find one thing in your life you are thankful for (although I am pretty sure you can), just remember that God, the CREATOR of the UNIVERSE, sent His son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins so that we could have the opportunity to live eternally with Him. And that Jesus loves us so much, He committed that ultimate sacrifice for US. We are so loved, y'all. He loves us so much we can't even fathom it. And He is always there for us. If you accept Him into your heart, He lives in you forever. Isn't that something incredibly amazing we have to be thankful for? I mean sure it's nice to have a roof over our heads, food in our stomachs, and good relationships in our lives, but that is practically nothing compared to the sacrifice Jesus paid for us. What a joy it is to follow Jesus and to be so loved by Him. Everything else that comes after that is just an added bonus. If we shift our perspective to this way, I believe we will be able to practice gratitude better.

The enemy wants us to focus on the negative. He wants us to lose hope and to stay sad and even mad at God. He wants us to blame God for all of the bad we face. But this is very important to remember: God is always good. We live in a broken and imperfect world full of evil and destruction because there is an enemy. But God is still good. He doesn't cause bad things to happen. It is so important to remember that. He helps us through the bad. That's why it is so important to turn to Him every single day. It is a daily choice to follow Him. When things in your life are going amazing, praise God, follow Him. When things in your life are going horribly, praise God, follow Him. Worship Him every single day. Pray to Him everyday. Get in the Word everyday.

Aside from the spiritual side of practicing gratitude, there are actually physical benefits from it too. I mentioned earlier that it is the antidote for anxiety, but it also can improve your sleep, reduce depression, strengthen relationships, boosts self-esteem, and lowers blood pressure. Gratitude is so good for the body and soul.

As Christians, when we practice gratitude, it renews our mind and deepens our relationship with Jesus. It transforms our mindset in that we see His presence in every situation and circumstance. Plus, a life of gratitude is a way we can be an example of Christ's character to the unbelievers around us. It brings peace and inner joy into our lives. Gratitude is not just a feeling, it is a daily practice. I think if we practice gratitude everyday, we will be able to see a huge difference in every aspect of our lives. God deserves all of the glory and all of our gratitude. He is worthy of all our praise.

This Thanksgiving, I know we will all go around the table and share what we are thankful for, but I encourage you to start practicing this daily. Every single day when you pray, thank God for something before you even share your requests. A good acronym I have heard for PRAY is:

P: praise (thank Him for what He has done, praise Him, express your love for Him)

R: repent (confess any sins and ask for forgiveness)

A: ask (this is when you submit your requests to Him)

Y: yield (surrender it all to Him, trusting in His plan and will for your life)

God is so good, y'all. He is so good, and He is so faithful. When you don't feel like He is there listening to you, know that He is. We have to trust in His timing and His plan. Right now, you are probably living an answered prayer in some capacity. Maybe you are in the school you prayed for years ago right now. Maybe your job is the job you prayed for a year ago. Maybe you are in a relationship you prayed for. The list goes on and on. Never lose sight of His faithfulness. I encourage you to start a prayer journal. Write down your prayers and then go back to them when He answers them. He is so good and so worthy of all of our praise.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I hope this encouraged you in some way. This is definitely something I will be working on for myself. Let's all practice gratitude together. Every single day. Thanks for reading and I will see y'all next time!