In one word – Gratitude!

In a recent post on Instagram, written by my niece, she mentioned that at the end of every year, she likes to reflect on what the Lord has taught her throughout the year and try and sum it up in one word.

As soon as I read it, I knew what my word would be. Gratitude. I didn’t even have to stop and think about it. Not even for a split second. Gratitude sums up my 2022 year. Thankfulness and gratefulness.

And in case you think that I must have had a good year, overflowing with blessings and devoid of problems, then think again!

This past year has been a very difficult one for our family. Let me explain just a little, before I go on.

The year began with my husband and I and our daughters, all out of a job, due to the government mandates. The business we had started and grown over a period of 5 years, came crashing down. We were forced to sell 2 of our trucks and we had to borrow money off our daughters as we struggled to keep afloat financially. We were left with a very uncertain future. We weren’t sure if we’d be able to afford to keep renting the shed for our business or even if we would be able to pay the rent for our house.

These circumstances led us to question God and do some soul searching. We weren’t sure if God was moving us on to a new place or leading us through a dark valley in order to strengthen our faith.

As time went on and the fears and doubts grew, we began to lean more and more on the Lord, trusting him as we walked through the dark, holding tightly to his hand, letting him light our path, one step at a time, one day at a time. And each day, God provided. Like Elijah and the ravens that brought food as he sat by the brook Cherith, God kept providing. We were fed. We were clothed. We were housed. We were sustained.

And although the trials seemed overwhelming and the mountains unclimbable, we began to feel a sense of peace wash over us. We began to be thankful for the little things. The little blessings, the little provisions that at one time, we had taken for granted.

We realised the blessing of quality family time spent together. 4 months of living and working together side by side on various projects gave us the time together we didn’t realise we had been missing and needing.

We realised we didn’t need so many ‘things’ to satisfy. There was a lot we could do without and still be content.

And as the days rolled into weeks and the weeks into months, we felt like the woman with the pot of oil that never ran dry. Each day, there was more than enough to sustain. Just when we thought we were down to our last dollar, God would provide in ways only he could.

And so began my desire to change the way I looked at life. After years of being the ultimate pessimist and living through seasons of unthankfulness, God began to open my blinded eyes to his mercies, his love, his kindness. I began to thank him daily for those little blessings. I realised that I needed to develop a heart of gratitude and as I searched the scriptures, I saw that not only was it a good thing to pursue, but it was commanded in scripture over and over. So many verses talk about singing God’s praises and thanking him and worshiping him and speaking of his goodness.

You can’t go very far in your Bible without reading about the importance of having a thankful spirit.

1 Chronicles 16:34

 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

Psalm 50:14

Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High:

Colossians 3:17

And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

I have written on this subject quite a bit lately, so I won’t go into it in depth in this post, but I just wanted to share what God has taught me this past year.

Although 2022 was a very difficult one for our family and we are still uncertain of our future, God has come through time and again.

He has provided work for us and allowed us to keep living where we live. He has blessed us in so many ways, I can’t possibly share them all.

Our struggles are not over, and we don’t know what trials lay ahead this new year. But I am assured that just as God was with us last year and brought us through, he can do it again. I don’t need to fear the storm when he is in the boat with me.

It’s not about the height of the waves or the strength of the storm, it’s all about who you have in the boat with you.

I want to encourage you to thank God daily for your blessings and write them down. Take a few minutes each and every day (don’t even miss a day!) to write down something you have to be thankful for. Better still, write 3!

I have been doing this for the past 3 months or so, and I can’t believe the change it has made in my life. I have a contentment I’ve never experienced before. I have a brighter outlook on life. I am happier and my joy level is constantly rising. I don’t sweat the small stuff like I used to, and I am able to trust God more, content to rest in him.

Yes, there are still hard days and days when I struggle to write down what I’m thankful for, there are days that I don’t ‘feel’ very thankful, but I can tell you, that there is ALWAYS something to be thankful for. If you are one of God’s children, then you will never run out of things to praise God for.

If you need help in knowing what to thank God for, then read the Psalms. What a treasure trove of blessings you will find there!

Psalm 150:2, 6 - Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. ... Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.

Look around you. Open your eyes and you’ll see a world full of people without hope. Everywhere there are people hurting. Don’t be depressed by it, be encouraged that you have a hope that lies within you, and you have an eternal destination with God in Heaven. You have peace. You have Joy. You have the Lord’s mercies, new each morning.

Let that thought invigorate you and push you towards a heart of gratitude. Be reminded of God’s goodness each time you gaze upon a beautiful sunset or hear the sound of the birds in the trees.

If you are blest to watch the sun rise over the ocean or peek over the mountaintops, if you take a walk in the rain and feel the drops fall on your face, if you walk through a field of flowers and smell the intoxicating aroma of sweetness as the wind blows their scent into the air, if you experience any of these things and more, praise God for it!

You are alive!

You have ears to hear.

Eyes to see.

Legs to walk.

Arms to reach out.

How blest we are as chosen, redeemed, forgiven, delivered children of God!

Don’t let your circumstances dictate your joy level or your words of praise.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

It is God’s will that you be thankful. Do you want to please him? Then give thanks!

With everything you have, praise God! With all your being, worship him! Sing it out loud! Speak about it! Shout about it!

The secret of joy is not to wait until you feel happy, but to rise, by an act of faith, out of the depression which is dragging you down and begin to praise God as an act of choice. A.B.Simpson

 

Psalm 98:1-9

O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.

The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen.

He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.

Sing unto the LORD with the harp; with the harp, and the voice of a psalm.

With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the LORD, the King.

Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.

Let the floods clap their hands: let the hills be joyful together

Before the LORD; for he cometh to judge the earth: with righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity.