Living a Life with Thanksgiving in Your Heart
What are you thankful for?
Family, a well-paying job, good health, and basic necessities like food and a home are common answers to this question.
Followers of Jesus might add the love, forgiveness, and grace they have received from the Lord. They might say their church family who has discipled and cared for them in times of need.
While Christians have much to be thankful for, we often allow our situations to blind us from all we have to thank God for.
But a shift in perspective — choosing to focus on the blessings God has bestowed upon us instead of the trials we are walking through — stirs up great thankfulness and creates deep, unending joy in our hearts.
The Bible says that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” (James 1:17, ESV).
Every blessing we receive is from the Lord. This is cause for great rejoicing!
When we are walking through a trial, choose to focus on the ways the Lord is working because those things are a great gift from Him.
When we are in poor health, may we thank God for medicine and science that allows us to become healthy again.
When money is tight, may we thank God for the wisdom He gives us to steward our money well and for the peace He brings to our hearts in times of great stress.
When we are hurt by others, may we thank God for the ability we have to forgive them and heal from these wounds.
Choosing to be thankful when it doesn’t make sense creates a shift in our perspective on our suffering that sparks deep joy in our life that not even the worst of sufferings can take away.
This joy comes only from the Lord Himself and is one of the good and perfect gifts He gives us (James 1:17).
As we shift our perspective and choose to be thankful in all things, may this Psalm of King David be the song of our hearts:
“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s” (Psalm 103:1-5, ESV).
Live life with thanksgiving in your heart. Give thanks for God’s blessings in all things and rejoice because of the goodness of our God.
