Something's Missing

And in the midst of everything be always giving thanks, for this is God’s perfect plan for you in Christ Jesus.
                       -1 Thessalonians 5:18 (TPT)

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Regrettably, I have to say that in my most difficult seasons of life, thankfulness was absent. What I discovered was that the lack of thankfulness compounds the misery of any situation. It makes a hard time harder, and a time of grief even more heartbreaking.

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March 18, 2012 – The last few months have been unbearably difficult at work. The negativity and hostility is difficult to understand. Everyone seems to have a complaint about something. People are becoming territorial and leadership is completely disconnected. I don’t believe I am having any kind of positive or Godly influence. Lord, I don’t want to simply avoid everyone or every situation, but rather, I want to shine like the stars and be a lamp on a hill whose light cannot be hidden.

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Unfortunately, instead of pressing through to shine like the stars, I found myself coming home angry and complaining just as much as those at work. It was totally exhausting, and I saw myself becoming someone I didn’t want to be.

That is why thankfulness is an incredible weapon in our lives. Thankfulness gives us the ability to distance ourselves from the emotions of the moment so we can find rest and hope in the goodness of God. If we stop and think of all that God has done, we can find joy underneath the gloom and doom of any situation. So, I encourage you to be prepared. Make a list today of things for which you are thankful. Then, put a neon sticky note on this page, so you can come back here whenever you need to be reminded of the awesomeness of God.