Until Further Notice – Be Thankful

“Be grateful for what you have and stop complaining – it bores everybody else, does you no good, and doesn’t solve any problems.”

Zig Ziglar

When life gets hard, complaining seems to come naturally.

If you are following mainstream media or social media, you are probably seeing a lot of complaints, accusations, and negative talk.

It’s time to change things up.

It’s time to be grateful.

Thankfulness reminds us of our blessings in the midst of challenge. It puts us in a better mindset for tackling the problems in our pathway. Thanksgiving is more productive than complaining.

Here are three practical ways to practice thankfulness whether or not you or in the midst of crisis:

• Thank God for your food. It seems so simple, yet many of us overlook the blessing of our meal. A simple prayer at the beginning of your meal time is a great way to practice thankfulness.
• Start a family thankfulness journal. My wife started this a few years ago. At dinner time, the journal is passed around the table. We each write one thing for which we are grateful that day.
• Write down three wins or three blessings each day before you go to bed. This provides an excellent opportunity to reflect on the day.

Thankfulness won’t fix every problem there is in your life, but it will set you up to move forward with hope and a positive attitude.

Until further notice, be thankful!

Prayer: Thank you for the blessings in my life. Create in me a heart of thanksgiving.

Ponder & Discuss: Why are you thankful today? (Share your thoughts in the comments below.)

“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”

Colossians 4:2 (NIV)