see the blessing.

To-do lists seem endless. Time seems minimal. Complaining can creep up quickly. Overwhelmed sometimes seems to be a state of being rather than a temporary status. Gratitude can slip the mind and heart so easily. Isn't this sometimes the way life seems? Well, for me, especially lately, this is the case. Yet, what would change if I intentionally changed my perspective? The answer I have come up with is... EVERYTHING. Everything would change if I realized one simple, yet COMPLEX thing. Thankfulness. Choose to see the blessing! Choose to see the goodness! Hmm. Now, the question is... HOW to get from A to B..?

 
How to get from complaining to gratitude? How to get from overwhelmed to a state of seeing God's goodness? Well, it is really quite simple, yet incredibly hard. The "how" is quite clear though - if we just stopped and realized the blessings, everything would change. CHOOSE to see the blessing! You might be thinking... "What does THAT mean..?" Well, in my time reading, listening to encouragement, and my time in prayer lately, I have come to realize and be convicted of one very fundamental thing. Thankfulness must be present in ALL things. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 reminds us of that. "...give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." Yes, this truly means ALL things, even the not so pleasant things. We are reminded of this as Jesus broke the bread on the eve of His crucifixion. In Luke 22:19, it says: "And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them..." Wow! Even the symbolic pieces of the body of Christ being BROKEN reminds us to GIVE THANKS. Give thanks in ALL things. Every single time we take bread as a remembrance of His gift of Life to us, we are to give thanks... So, this means that in a very tangible, physical act, we give thanks for His pain, His suffering, His death? Hmm. Not the most pleasant part of history, YET, it is the VERY MOMENT IN TIME that opened the way to salvation. Without it, none would be saved. What a hopeless thought! So, this means that thankfulness is the manifestation of our "YES!" to His grace. This state of mind and heart - thankfulness - is really a miracle and really changes everything..? Indeed! Thankfulness is integral in a faith that saves!

So, what if instead of complaining about the mountain of work before us, we would give thanks for the mind we have to think with, the legs we have to walk with, the hands we can work with, the heart we can love with, the lungs we can breathe with, the eyes we can see with..? The list goes ON and ON. Give thanks for ALL THINGS and in ALL THINGS. We have SO MUCH to be thankful for. If we switched our mindset to thankfulness, first for His love and grace that saves us, and then in gratitude for ALL we have and all we can do as a result of this life we are given, would that not change EVERYTHING..? A hard moment-by-moment struggle indeed, as we navigate in our fallen flesh through this broken world, YET a moment-by-moment miracle will be the result in this type of faith-given intentional living! Thankfulness. Psalm 50:23 reminds us... "He who sacrifices thank offerings honors Me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God." Thanksgiving is not just a fleeting thing, it must be a way of LIFE. Giving thanks in ALL things...even for the cup of cost, the cancer, the crucifixion. Swallow hard, and begin on our knees. Be thankful in ALL things. See the blessing. Live the blessing!