Gratitude is an incredibly powerful tool in our arsenal as humans. Gratitude unlocks our hearts and minds and we begin to realize more and more how blessed and provided for we truly are.
In the midst of a low point in your day, week, month, life, the best way to get out of the feeling of the pit, is to be grateful. It may not change your circumstances, but it will change your perspective. And when your perspective changes, your attitude changes. When your attitude changes, you begin to live with joy and contentment.
I think the fallacy we tend to believe as humans is “life should be easy”. If things are going well, that means we are in the right spot. And in the Christian realm, this belief is rampant, but not Biblically based.
Life being hard is one of the main things preventing people from believing and following a good and loving God. How many times have you heard a form of this question asked: “If God was a good God, why would He let (this) happen?”
Certainly not an easy topic to dive into, and there is a lot of validity in the question.
But the fact remains, life is never easy, and there is not one example of anyone having an easy life. If their life is easy, it means they are not doing anything of value with it!
Any good story contains 1 main element: a struggle.
Many of the best movies, books, plays, etc. are so loved because the beloved character overcomes a struggle and becomes victorious.
Who is going to watch a movie where there is no tension, no struggle, nothing to overcome?… That would be pretty boring.
Life is difficult. We can’t get by without enduring a struggle. But how we respond in those moments is how we will be defined as people.
If you want to live a life like Eyore from Winnie the Pooh, that is your prerogative. But you will soon find that no one wants to be around you, or that they don’t stick around for too long.
Life is difficult, and trying to avoid the difficulties will be of no benefit to you. The way we can ensure difficulties are beneficial to our lives and development is to practice gratitude in the midst of struggles.
This is an incredibly difficult task. But I can assure you it’s the best thing any of us could do.
And another thing I can promise you is, once you start listing things you are grateful for, you will begin to see how blessed and provided for you are. And when your eyes are open to how truly great your life is, your attitude, mindset and perspective will change. And soon to follow, your words, thoughts and behaviors.
Practice gratitude today, you will not be disappointed.
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