1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV[16] Rejoice always, [17] pray continually, [18] give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
In my life, living with my situation, I have to focus on the positives. Slowing down and taking time to notice the good in our lives, shifts our focus away from what’s missing and toward what God has given us. Satan wants us to believe the lie that we need to have more and be more in order to be happy. WRONG!!
I had to lose everything and become less (in the eyes of the world) in order to find true happiness. I am grateful for the struggles, for the life I have now. Do I wish things were different, yes, I’ll never stop praying and believing for total healing. But I consider the stroke I had to be a blessing, the lessons I have learned because of and through those struggles is something I wouldn’t trade for anything.
Gratitude transforms our struggles into testimonies. It trains our hearts to recognize that God’s plan is always good. Your trials are not wasted; they are opportunities for God to reveal His glory through your perseverance and worship. Every day we live in gratitude, we create evidence of God’s faithfulness for ourselves and those around us.
My heart overflows with gratitude for my little inner circle. I literally could not live without them, doing things for me that I can no longer do for myself. I say thank you so many times a day, my mom sometimes says too much 🙂 But keeping my focus on thanking God first, that He has placed these people in my life to be my hands and feet, gratitude bubbles up inside of me and I can’t keep it inside.
Don’t wait for the big things, thank God for the small victories too. The good parking spot, the person that holds a door open for you, getting all the green traffic lights when you are running late. The things that most of us don’t think much of are what I call God kisses. Focusing on being grateful for the gifts, big or small, that God has given you will also impact your peace, joy, and hope in this broken, chaotic world.
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