The
other day, I had a thought that I’m convinced was God speaking to me. He said, “Gratitude is a choice.” You see, it’s easy for me to focus on the
burdens of life. Just contemplating
another holiday season without my dad is very difficult. But more than that, the pressures of everyday
life can easily overwhelm and discourage me.
It’s easy for me to focus on the acute losses, financial strain,
heartache, stress, holiday blues, and the perpetually uncompleted tasks.
I
wanted to be vulnerable and honest with you here because I didn’t want you to
think, “Kevin is writing about thankfulness.
I guess he has arrived when it comes to gratitude.” That’s simply not the case. By speaking of an attitude of gratitude, I’m
not setting myself up as this faultless example on the subject. The reality is I have needed these gratitude
themed blogs as much as anyone.
As
I said, the Lord seemed to impress to my spirit that, even in the midst of all
these difficult circumstances, I was to make the conscious decision to practice
gratitude in my life. Ever since He
communicated that to me, I have constantly made the choice, when I see that I
have been operating from a mindset of ingratitude, to stop it, and choose
instead to operate from a mindset of thankfulness. This has required constant discipline.
I’ve
chosen to share all this with you because I think we have a tendency to focus
on what we don’t have, rather than everything that we do have. The Bible says, “Give thanks in all
circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians
5:18). I think it is a healthy exercise
for all of us – whether it’s November or not – to stop carping, grumbling,
fussing, and complaining; instead recall afresh the numerous gifts that God
has so graciously given us. Remember:
gratitude is a choice!
Kevin
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