the past six months have been hard. i've been challenged spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally. my heart has been heavy and my spirit weak. there have been days when i felt lonely. moments when i questioned my reason for being here. there have been times when i didn't know how to extend love to difficult people. and days when i wrestled with forgiveness. but one thing is certain. through all of this i am learning what it looks like to have a heart filled with gratitude. God's faithfulness is proven over and over again. sometimes it feels easier to focus on the things that are going wrong and i neglect to express thankfulness over the things that matter. i suppose this is one of the most important lessons of all, living day to day with a grateful heart.
i read this the other day.
thankfulness takes the sting out of adversity. that is why I have instructed you to give thanks for everything. there is an element of mystery in this transaction: you give Me thanks (regardless of your feeling), and I give you joy (regardless of your circumstances). this is a spiritual act of obedience - at times, blind obedience...thankfulness opens your heart to My Presence and your mind to My thoughts. you may still be in the same place, with the same set of circumstances, but it is as if a light has been switched on, enabling you to see from My perspective. it is this Light of My Presence that removes the sting from adversity.
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