Choosing Gratitude

 YouTube Channel Video Devo

https://youtu.be/NquqBb34Zoo?si=cg9z5T1varI1V30b

“Choosing Gratitude”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

 

The past couple of weeks, I’ve had the phrase “choosing gratitude” on my mind and heart.  Recently, after some conversation with others, it really occurred to me and stuck out that I literally have the choice, not only each and every day, but also each and every moment to choose gratitude or to be negative. 

 

For the past week, it’s been heavy on my heart and mind because I’m just naturally a cynical person.  It’s not my desire to wake up each day and be this way, but I’m just more of a serious person by nature.  My wife, on the other hand, is a very positive and encouraging person and I am forever grateful for her patience and love to me for the past almost 22 years of living life together! 

 

There’s two things I want to point out regarding this phrase of “choosing gratitude”.  First, it is way easier to be negative and see negative things around us and to point them out and complain.  Second, it’s often harder for us to focus on the positive and all the wonderful blessings God has already given to us. 

 

If we let ourselves focus on the negative and let those thoughts and feelings dwell day after day, bad things happen with our attitude.  I’m finding myself dumbfounded lately at discovering how a negative attitude can really affect your personal life and those around you. 

 

As we close out this year and look to a new year, whatever your possible New Year’s resolutions may be, I pray that each of us would make it a point to choose gratitude every moment of every day.  I know that this is a challenge for many of us, myself included, but it is possible.  When we choose gratitude, we are focusing on the amazing blessings we already have been given by God.  We choose NOT to focus on what we don’t have or wish we had, but instead focus on the great things we’ve been blessed with. 

 

My prayer for all of us is that we wake up each day and do something to start our day that helps us focus on being grateful instead of letting ourselves go into a negative mindset spiral.  Those spirals are very dangerous and I have a known history for allowing myself to experience those.  They are not fun and give no quality of life. 

 

Let us all strive to choose gratitude!