Quotes about Gratitude

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 THESSALONIANS 5:16 — 18)

I can't control the things that happen to me each day, but I can control how I think about them. I can say to myself, "I have a choice to have destructive thoughts or constructive thoughts right now. I can wallow in what's wrong and make things worse, or I can ask God for a better perspective to help me see good even when I don't feel good.

Did I overeat this week on any day? No. • Did I move more and exercise regularly? Yes. • Do I feel lighter than I did at this time last Wednesday? Yes. • Did I eat in secret or out of anger or frustration? No. • Did I feel that, at any time, I ran to food instead of to God? Nope. • Before I hopped on the scale, did I think I'd had a successful, God-pleasing week? Yep!

But, instead of wallowing in what I can't have, I'm making the choice to celebrate what I can have.

Alarmed, I resolve to remember who I am. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Stay in the flow—my job is obedience; God's job is results. Shift from an attitude to gratitude. My reactions determine my reach.

Breakthroughs happen when we get about the business of honoring God moment by moment, step-by-step, day by day by what we do and, more importantly, with the thoughts we think while we do.

What if we could actually get to the place where we thanked God for letting us face this battle because of the rich treasures we discovered on the battlefield?

So, here's the short version of my predetermined biblical procedure manual all in one place: Alarmed, I resolve to remember who I am. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Stay in the flow—my job is obedience; God's job is results. Shift from an attitude to gratitude. My reactions determine my reach.

Even amid hardship, trials, and things that don't go the way we want them to, we can find something to be joyful about.

Rather than dwelling on wounds that leave us feeling emotionally empty, we can learn to look for whatever is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy in life (Philippians 4: 8). When I park my mind and heart on thoughts that refresh me instead of ones that depress me, I am filled. Like the psalmist reminds us, "Taste and see that the LORD is good" (Psalm 34: 8).

The moment of perceiving something beautiful confers on the perceiver the gift of life.

Pray for people who are in a better situation than you are, who are more gifted than you are, or who currently have wonderful circumstances coming their way. Rejoice with those who rejoice. Pray for someone else's promotion, someone else's pregnancy, someone else's healing. That crucifies envy.