In the face of the rising costs of living, alarming rates of lay-offs and unemployment, devastating crime waves, bleak news, and so many other uncertainties, it is easy for us to get overwhelmed by all that is happening around us and to complain about everything that’s not working as expected.

What is your default response when things go awry? Do you switch into panic mode and worry about everything? Are your actions backed up by fear? Do you try to figure things out on your own and only run to God as a last resort after everything else has failed?

It is completely pointless worrying about the things we do not have the power to change. While we have no control over the distasteful circumstances in our world today, we can choose how we respond to these things.

I have learnt over time to maintain a spirit of gratitude at all times, but especially during those times when things are chaotic. If you are true to yourself and search deeply within, you will realize that you’ve got several reasons to praise God – even when your current circumstances appear otherwise!!

Today, I want you to think of three things – just THREE things – you are thankful for.

Here’s my list to serve as a guide:

• I am grateful for the gift of life. It reminds me that God is aware of my existence (since I still have His breath in me) and has not forgotten about me. It also assures me that things would get better even though it doesn’t immediately appear so.

• I am grateful for the Word of God. The word of God documented in the Holy Bible has been a tremendous source of strength to me. It is not just a collection of random words but life itself. I am thankful I always have such a loving and encouraging supply of promises I can rely on during all the seasons of life I experience. I also love that I can learn from the experiences of those who have walked this path before me.

• I am grateful for the gift of YOU. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to publicly share some of the things God impresses in my heart through these devotionals. It is so refreshing to have a very supportive community of readers (and this includes you) who can relate to these writeups and make it a point of duty to send me messages every so often about how much of a blessing these writeups have been to them. It is really humbling to know how these little notes shared with love can go a long way in encouraging someone on their Christian walk.

It’s your turn now. Get a notepad and write down YOUR gratitude list. Then spend some time appreciating God for each item on your list. You would be amazed at how much joy and peace you will derive doing this.

What are you grateful for today? Do you keep a gratitude journal? How did you feel after this exercise? I’d like to hear from you!

Categories: My Devotionals

Tags: Christian, Devotional, Faith, Gratitude, Motivation