It's One Thing to Say "Thank you"...
It's a common practice, almost like a reflex. When someone shows kindness and favor, we say "Thank You." It's polite, it's expected. It's decent.
Saying the words are easy. What's difficult is developing a mindset of GRATITUDE.
Developing A Mindset of Gratitude
To me, being grateful for blessings in life is not taking them for granted. Yes, they have been granted, but we should receive them as something valuable, not as expected or like wages.
Blessings are not wages, blessings are blessings.
Not Taking for Granted: Waking Up in the Morning
I decided to write this as found myself practicing gratitude. We take it for granted that when we go to sleep at night, we will wake up in the morning. It always happens, morning after morning. But this is not something that should be taken for granted. We should be grateful that the breath of life has returned to our body and our mind has become functional again.
One way to practice gratitude is to thank the Most High for returning conscience to our body and mind again in the morning when we wake.
Not Taking for Granted: Food for Today
We live in a world of abundance. I know there are regions where food is difficult to come by and even then good food is even more difficult to come by. But my family has been blessed by living in a land of an abundance of food, but we cannot take that for granted.
Yes, we've been "granted" this abundance by the Most High, we receive it with humility, not entitled, but grateful. We must not take it for granted.
Give us this day our daily bread.
One way to practice gratitude is to thank the Most High for food for today and finding ways to give food to the hungry. We also practice not wasting food as much as we can, recognizing it's great value.
Not Taking for Granted: Health
We also are blessed with general good health. Not perfect, but we are often protected from illnesses and disease and health issues. When an issue comes up, we ask for special healing from the Most High and we address it to the best of our abilities.
There are many who are in poor health and hurt every day. We grieve for people who are hurting and beseech the Most High for their healing. So often our illnesses have to do with our behavior and the Most High requires us to confess and repent before He grants healing.
The best healing begins with repentance. Guilt is bad for your health.
Yet (We Must) Rejoice in the LORD
This is the short list of things that I am grateful for. There is so much more to be grateful for, even if all these blessings are taken away.
Only the Most High knows: perhaps our ability to sleep will be affected, perhaps our abundance of food will be taken away, perhaps our good health will be removed.
The Most High gives and He takes away. He is Good. He is God. I will rejoice in His Holy NAME. Practicing gratitude in all circumstances.
If we cannot practice gratitude while things are comfortable, how much more difficult will it be to practice gratitude while things are UNcomfortable.
- The fig tree doesn't blossom (expected opportunity falls through)
- No fruit on the vine (expected income becomes unavailable)
- Produce of the olive fails (feeling spiritually pressed)
- the fields yield no food (no delight in the word of God)
- the flocks are cut off from the fold (loosing assets of great value)
- no herds in the stall (savings and securities are lost)
It would be difficult to practice gratitude if this were my condition. But in order for the tree to remain alive, we must practice gratitude anyway and say "Yet I will REJOICE in the LORD!!!"
Bless the Most High!
Teach Your Children Liberty from Sin
We encourage parents to teach their children principles of Godliness, beginning with the Word and an understanding who God is and what His Son has done to form a relationship with us.
No one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s work. 1 Corinthians 3:11-13
Teach Your children Liberty from Tyranny
Second to this is the principle of self-determination and freedom, lest we loose the ability to teach our children the first principle in future generations. Our children read the Tuttle Twin books, specifically to learn libertarian principles, which most people learn later in life. These books are useful for our family, and yours, to teach children concepts that seem complicated, but are made simple in these books. I am an affiliate for Libertas Publishing, your purchase will help our family grow financially.
Use coupon code FORTY for 40% off your purchase! Check out the books here.
"Politicians like problems because they can claim to have solutions... but their solutions often create even more problems."
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