Listen to iPhone or iPad here.
What do we do on those days when we are simply ‘not feeling it”? Did you hear me? ‘Not feeling it.’
We wake up and while thankful to have another day, we just can’t seem to get moving. Very little of the juices, creative or otherwise, are pumping inside of us.
But instead of allowing ourselves to be weighed down in the miry muck and clay, how about we put a smile on our face, remember who we belong to and conjure up a little gratitude? Don’t you love that?
I can’t take credit for that special little phrase. It belongs to singer/songwriter/pastor Paul Baloche.
But I can take his words to heart and make the decision to be grateful for all parts of my life. The steps I take to follow through on that are solely up to me. I must trust Him even through the challenging times and circumstances.
God’s word includes multiple verses on thankfulness and gratitude and that’s not by accident. In Psalm 118:24, His word tells us, “This is the day which the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” I’m going to 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.’ There is nothing too big for our God to handle and that means He has us covered as well.
There are occasions when I look at the day’s 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, don’t-want-to-deal-with it kind of attitude.
But as a general rule I don’t allow myself to wallow in the miry clay for very long. There is too much to live for, too many people to encourage, and too many things still on the bucket list.
So how do we conjure up a little gratitude? We pull ourselves up by the boot straps, purposely put a smile on, strap on the armor of God, and rejoice in His faithfulness. He has everything under control and knows all the days that we struggle with our imperfect lives.
Consistently practicing gratitude gives our life meaning and it allows us to experience the rich blessings God has in store for us, even when things don’t go as planned. We are reminded in Acts 24:3, “In every way and everywhere we accept this with all gratitude.”
So as we think about ways to ‘conjure up a little gratitude,’ remember to make it a way of life, monitor and adjust our attitudes, focus on the good inside of us, and make a record of His lessons and His blessings; that way we get to see the growth process first hand.
So the best place to start to make this happen? It starts with us. So put a big smile on, thank Him for who we are and for what He is doing in our lives. Then get moving.
I’ll be praying for you.
Mitzi
Leave a Reply