Committed to Gratitude

Quote:

“Gratitude is the healthiest of all human emotions.  The

more you express gratitude for what you have, the more

likely you will have even more to express gratitude for.”

~Zig Ziglar

Scripture:

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

~1Thessalonians 5:18

Perspective:

Gratitude is defined as the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. 

Synonyms: appreciation, gratefulness, thankfulness, appreciativeness, thanks

It is so very easy to wake up every day and focus on what is wrong, on what we still  lack that others seem  to have so easily.  All you have to do is turn on your TV and watch a few commercials and it will get that mindset flowing…luxury cars that help you drive, signature appliances that match your personality, small bottles of perfume worth one hundred plus dollars, Smartphones in your choice of colors.  We are bombarded with all these things that the average citizen on this earth can not just run to the store and buy, at least not without planning for it or going into debt, a.k.a. using a credit card.  In September 2018, the Nielsen Company reported that 95.9% of U.S. homes have TVs.  Most American’s, 96%, also own cellphones; 81% of those are Smartphones, up from 35% in 2011, according to the Pew Research Center.  In 2016, statistics showed that 89.3% of all U.S. households had a computer.  The Pew Research Center figured the middle-class income range to be between $41,000. and $132,000. in 2017, a HUGE income range, and so lifestyle range, for what we call the middle-class.  That same year, the median income range in the U.S. was $61, 372. based on the U.S. Census Bureau figures.  Let’s face it, unless you are a debt-free family making over $100,000. a year, living in a comfortable house you own and driving a new car, it is easy to feel that you have gotten the short end of the stick in this country of excess!  But read on…

According to Gallup’s data, the median household income worldwide is just $9,733., a $51, 639. difference from the median U.S. income!  I recently saw a quote that said something to the effect of, when you start to feel bad about where you are in life, look to the many who have less, yet we tend to look to the many who have more, the more we too crave and strive for.  Of the billions of people on this earth there is only two spots for those doing the best and those doing the worst, everyone else is in between, meaning there are always many people doing better and worse than we are on any given day.  Despite all the adversity we face, those of us living in the U.S, who fall in the middle-class income range and above, have lots to be thankful for that can be seen  by all.  Whether we bought or are renting, most have homes where we can set the temperature for our personal comfort, where we each have our own comfy room to sleep in and store all our “stuff;” garages where we can park our cars, often more than one per family, and all our outdoor “stuff,” much of which we bought and do not even use very often, maybe even forgot we have.  We have refrigerators stocked with our favorite foods, even ones we shouldn’t be eating but want to anyway; we have clean water available at the flip of a faucet, both hot and cold; we have a closet full of clothes and nothing to wear; we have multiple pairs of shoes, without holes might I add, for different outfits and activities; we use scented soaps in our hot showers and towels on which to dry ourselves; we go to restaurants and order what we want and then get served by someone AND cleaned up after!  Yet, day-in and day-out we take all that for granted, all those things that others around the world are praying for.

Because of the HUGE discrepancy that exists amongst the billions of people in our current world, it is best for each of us to focus on doing better today than we were yesterday, to letting our only competition be ourselves!  EVERYONE has a battle they are fighting, a cross to bear, and if for a period we don’t, a loved one does, so we are always affected by the adversities and brokenness that exist in this world, even if everything looks rosy from the outside.  Social media and old media, or pre-internet media such as television, make it difficult to focus on what we do have and on how far we have come; we are always looking at what we could have or what others choose  to show us they have.  We must remember that everyone struggles with something they feel horrible about and wish they didn’t have to deal with, regardless how their lives appear  to the outside world. 

So, what can you do to experience joy despite your current circumstances?  First and foremost, be grateful for what you do have right now in this moment, today; easier said than done I know, but VERY necessary!  This is one of the things you must remind yourself of and recommit to doing daily!  I have to get a hip replacement in two months; I have to wait due to my last cortisone shot a month ago that failed to work.  The last few weeks I was consumed with working on managing my pain level without, and then with, my doctor which is why I took 2 weeks off from writing my blog articles.  Along with the often severe pain making it difficult to walk, I have been having a pity party and finding it difficult to see any good in my situation.  I am quite an active person and thrive on that activity level with my ADHD…until going hiking in early September, after which my last shot officially wore off.  Some questions I have repeated are: “Why me God?  Why now, I’m too young!  Haven’t I been through enough?”  But, do I ask those questions when God blesses me?  Of course not!  I was snapped out of my self-thrown pity party a few days ago at my son’s wrestling match when I happen to look down at the lady standing in front of me and noticed she had a full prosthetic leg, which I bet is much more difficult to manage than my replaced hip will be.  See until then, I had been looking at all the people jogging and walking by my house, even thinking about all the people sitting on their couches who could  be active but choose  not to be.  I needed an adjustment in my perspective and that lady unknowingly gave me one.  My situation is the same, but my perspective was adjusted.  This is not to say that I won’t still have rough moments, but my adjusted perspective will help bring me out of self-pity more quickly. 

We all have our struggles and our crosses to bear in this broken world, after all struggles are a guarantee written about in the Bible.  We should not show gratitude because of our circumstances, but rather because God gave up his only son to a hideous death in order to save us from our sin-filled life and eternal death.  Our circumstances will bring us over peaks and valleys much like a crazy roller coaster ride does.  We will NOT always have what we want or what makes us happy or makes our lives easier.  This life is full of struggles and lessons in preparation for eternity with God.  Our struggles have a purpose, they do not happen because God took a nap, He allowed them to happen.  However, sometimes our bad choices caused them, but God can still use them for our good and for His glory in the long run.  We are supposed  to lean into our struggles and ask God to show us what He wants us to learn from them and how He wants us to grow from each.  I feel much better about my many ongoing trials since accepting them as His plan with a purpose; I am now able to use them to help me learn, grow, and change!  As with anything worth having, getting to this point has been a process filled with peaks and valleys with its root in my daily commitment.

Life Application:

Gratitude is a choice and should not be based on our circumstances.  There is ALWAYS something to be grateful for.  When we live with a grateful heart our life changes, we experience a joy and peace like never before.  It helps us to focus on what is good and right in our lives and all around us, despite what we are lacking and struggling with, which will always be presence; only YOU can choose how much attention to give the negatives we all experience!

>Today, choose to focus on what is good and right in your life, remembering how far you have come.  Choose to compare yourself only to you yesterday.  Choose to learn, grow, and change from all you go through, for it all has a purpose.  Then, when tomorrow becomes today, recommit to do those same things again!