Practicing gratitude on a daily basis can change your life because it opens up new ways of looking at your problems. It also helps you to avoid a pessimistic and negative view that keeps you feeling stuck and victimized.

Here are some practical ways to practice gratitude:

• Keep a gratitude list in a journal. Every day, write down between one and five things you are grateful for. Try to be creative and think of several new things a day.
• Look for something good in everything that happens. This doesn’t mean you should deny the difficulties or stuff your emotions. You can admit it’s hard, feel the pain, and still maintain a perspective that sees all the potential benefits and possibilities.
• Ask God to show you his view of your circumstances. Keep an eternal rather than temporal perspective.
• Regularly list good things that come from bad things. Include growth you and others have experienced.
• Review your gratitude list when you find yourself having difficulty with your circumstances.
• Watch your mouth. Don’t complain about circumstances in a self-defeating manner that reinforces a victim mentality.

So much happens in life that you cannot control; however, you can control your attitude about them. Gratitude as an attitude gives you a perspective that lifts you above your circumstances. You don’t have to be grateful for the circumstances themselves, but for what they can bring and the lessons you are learning. This helps you to stop trying to control outcomes by enabling you to embrace the challenges with positive energy rather than negative. It can turn problems into possibilities and blessings. It can open up the pathway for God to do a greater work in your life because you are inviting him into your circumstances rather than resisting him by complaining.

By Karla Downing

Relationship Devotional Prayer

 
God,

Help me practice gratitude daily in my life. I invite you into my circumstances to do whatever you desire in me and others around me.

Relationship Devotional Challenge

• Begin a gratitude journal today.

Scripture Meditation

 
Philippians 4:6-7

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (NIV).