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“Blessed are the people to whom such blessings fall! Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord!” Psalm 144:15 (ESV)

The coolness of spring and the heat of summer mingled together this past week.  Oh, how I loved the refreshing early morning cool breezes and late night moments on the patio.  Perfect weather.  But, by Thursday perfection had slipped out the window and the humidity was daunting. To make matters worse, the air conditioning in my car wasn’t working.  Definitely not my fave way to commute, especially in the heat of the day.

While I was sweating on my way home, I couldn’t help but reflect on how easy it is to take so many seemingly insignificant things for granted.  Running water is always on tap in my home.  One simple flush allows me to take care of business without having to go outside.  A roof over my head and food in the pantry – wow we are blessed indeed.  Yet all these daily luxuries often go unnoticed, dismissed.  Why?  We simply forget the convenience and joy of having so much at our fingertips.

Unfortunately, we can land in this same place in our relationship with God.  There are churches around almost every corner in our city.  I have stacks of Bibles on my desk.  Inspiring podcasts are readily available.  My church offers multiple varieties of studies and life groups to suit the needs of everyone – no one is excluded.  Spiritual luxuries which we often take for granted.

Several years ago, a dear friend moved to a larger, more prominent city.  As she settled into her new environment, my friend greatly missed her church family and circle of godly friends.  Despite the city’s offerings of more places to shop and eat than you could dare imagine, the feeding of her soul was missing.  Sad reality, we often don’t miss what we are blessed with until it is no longer there.

Sweet friends, we can easily find ourselves drawn to critique, grumbling and complaining versus expressing gratitude and being thankful.  Inconveniences and preferences can fuel those thoughts propelling us down a negative trail. And once we embark on that journey, discontent will quickly rise to the surface.

So how do we avoid this trap?   Gratitude is crucial as we maneuver through life.  When we recognize how blessed we are to simply open our Bibles and freely attend church, we will replace complacency with true worship and overflowing joy. A critique of our pastor’s Sunday sermon will fade. When we acknowledge how God has blessed our life with family who love us and godly friends who inspire us, we will view each day through a different lens.  Unity will become our goal versus division and dissension.

Cultivating daily gratitude births a genuine recognition of how the hand of God guides and strengthens us.  Even acknowledging the mundane and uneventful moments as joyful gifts can plant seeds deep in our souls.  And when those hard times rise to the surface, which they will, our decision to embrace gratitude and cling to God’s truth will sustain us.  Like a wildfire in a dry land, the release of negativity can foster joy and gratitude in others as well.

Practice develops consistency – so let’s purposefully choose to practice gratitude this week by jotting down anything and everything that sparks gratitude in our hearts.  When the temptation sparks to critique, grumble or complain, let’s intentionally choose to see the goodness of our God over the disappointments of our circumstances. A grateful, contented heart always serves us well.

“Father, the sheer joy of Your presence in our lives generates abundant gratitude.  Teach us to see Your goodness sprinkled across every day and empower us to rise above the enemy’s attempts to steal our joy.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life