Have you noticed that almost every news commentator ends their report on a negative note? Is our world in a negative mood? Is there anything right with the world in which we live? Dissatisfaction, distrust and blame seems to be the name of the game.
Over the holidays I read a story about a man named Dan who was known to be a chronic complainer. Dan complained about the weather, his family, his friends, his work, his church, his neighbors, etc. He lived in a state of discontent.
One day, Dan came across a verse which read
When you have truly thanked God
For every blessing sent,
Little time will then remain
For murmur or lament.
That verse captured his attention. Dan said, “I see now what my trouble has been. I’ve been grumbling so much that I’ve forgotten to be thankful for the things I have.” So he resolved to set about changing his attitude. He said to himself, “Every time I find myself starting to complain about something I don’t have or don’t like or someone I don’t like, I’m going to say ‘Thank you God for what you have given me and for the people you have put in my life.”
Dan discovered that his new resolve worked. It was much easier to keep his grouchy, grumbling thoughts out when he filled his mind with thankful ones. There was simply no room for discontent when he filled his mind with praise and thanksgiving.
With a new resolve, Dan was amazed at how much more he enjoyed life. He was also amazed that his stress level dropped and that he slept better at night. The more he gave thanks and praise the happier he found himself to be. The more he thanked God for what he had and who he had in his life, the more his appreciation grew.
As a New Year begins, perhaps we could all profit by pushing away murmur and lament and replacing it with thanks to God for every blessing sent.
With Thanksgiving and Christmas fresh in our mind, let us not forget that giving thanks and living in a thankful way are not seasonal. Thanksgiving and Thanksliving comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ. After all “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the Word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created. (James 1:17-18). HAPPY NEW YEAR!
In His Love,
Charles
