What do we do on those days when we are simply ‘not feeling it”? Did you hear me? ‘NOT FEELING IT!’
You know what I’m talking about. It’s goes something like this…….we awaken in the morning and say we are thankful for each new day God gives us, yet we can’t seem to get moving to show Him how grateful we are. We find that very little of the juices, creative or otherwise, are flowing inside of us. And sometimes it feels like, ‘we’ve got nothing’ else to give.
But instead of allowing ourselves to be weighed down in the miry muck and clay, let’s think about what we can do to conjure up a little gratitude and really show God that we are thankful.
If it were only that easy–to conjure up some gratitude, I mean.
God’s word is not lacking in the ‘thankfulness and gratitude’ department. Scripture includes many verses, (I have approximately 40 verses marked in my Bible), on both so we can see the impact they can make in our own life, as well as in the lives of others.
When we find ourselves feeling weighed down in life’s challenges, we only need to be reminded of Jesus’ time on this earth. Over and over he was met with resistance, was targeted by anyone and everyone, yet he modeled thankfulness and gratitude to his Father at every turn.
In Psalm 118:24, Scripture tells us, “This is the day which the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.”
Let me go out on a limb here and say this ‘rejoicing and be glad’ stuff must always be a part of who we are even when we are ‘not feeling it.’ I mean, which one of us is going to say to our Heavenly Father, “I want no part of this rejoicing stuff.”
First of all we would probably get a big boink on the head, and second, there is nothing too big for our God to handle. He’s made it very clear in scripture that we have much to be grateful and thankful for. Besides that, He has us covered at ALL times.
But there are still days that I look at what’s on the agenda and I want to shout to the mountain tops, “I’m just not feeling it.” Things don’t have to be overwhelming or busy or overly planned to feel like that. Sometimes it’s just attitude….a sluggish, period of lull, or when I suffer from the ‘I don’t-want-to-deal-with it kind of attitude.’
As a general rule I don’t allow myself to wallow in pity for too long. There is too much to live for, too many people to encourage, and too many things still on my bucket list.
So how do I remind myself to push the yucky stuff out of my mind and return to my grateful and thankful ways? It’s pretty simple actually. I pull myself up by my bootstraps, put my big girl panties on, purposely slap on a smile, and strap on the armor of God, that’s how. I know regardless of what’s going on in my life, I’m completely covered.
It’s about rejoicing in His faithfulness, and reminding ourselves that He has everything under control because He knows all the days that we struggle with our imperfect lives.
One of my favorite authors, Suzanne Eller says, ‘We should thank the Lord for the hard paths, and uphill treks because that’s where we learn from him. We are to thank him for those moments when we can sit at his feet.’
Consistently practicing gratitude comes from sitting at his feet. Those precious moments allows us to experience the rich blessings he has in store for us, even when things don’t go as we planned.
Tweet ThisWe are reminded in Acts 24:3, “In every way and everywhere we accept this with all gratitude.”
So, here are 5 ways to load up on gratitude:
- Start your day in prayer. Make your quiet time personal and take time to sit at His feet.
- Purposely put a big smile on everyday. Look for the good in everything and thank Him for what He is doing in your life.
- Share a mixture of grace, love, and laughter everywhere you go. You have the perfect role model for this.
- Let positivity ooze from your lips and be the bright spot in someone’s day.
- Remember your ATTITUDE speaks volumes about who you are. In ALL things, give thanks.
Hugs & Blessings to you in the week ahead. I’ll be praying for you.
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