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My life seems to be this constant battle, in my head, with the dark and the light. Some days this battle is easily won, I feel elated, energised, positive energy just flows from me.
Other days, especially in winter, I struggle and have to tap in and cultivate this energy a lot more.
One of the things I do every day, at least that is the goal, is practice gratitude.
Gratitude is right through the bible, some of my favourite verses on gratitude are:
"This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it" Psalm 118:24
"And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful" Colossians 3:15
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving (gratitude) let your requests be made known to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard your hears and your minds in Christ Jesus"
Phillipians 4: 6-7
When life is hitting hard from all directions, gratitude is not usually our human default, unless we have re trained our mind. For me, this is a work in progress, but I press in daily to keep building this gratitude 'muscle'.
There is science to prove that gratitude changes our brain chemistry but also our life's experience.
When you start to look at different groups of people on the earth, sometimes the people with the least material possessions and the simplest of lives are the happiest, the most grateful.
As a Christian I am commanded to be grateful, but experiencing the power of regular gratitude practice in my life completely transforms this experience, and a state I would much rather live in every day, one of being grateful.
Finding 'silver linings' to life's ups and downs is a much better way to live, it is not to deny our feelings, emotions or reactions to things that we need to express, it is to know when it is time to process through something by acknowledging the hard stuff but being grateful for what we find in our 'silver lining' search.
I have said this in other blogs, being a Christian, a follower of Christ, doesn't mean that my life is a breeze, or easy, or going to be void of the hard things, the painful things. It does mean that I can gather strength for today and hope for tomorrow, through my faith and relationship with God, and that I don't have to do ANY of life alone.
The most powerful thing I have learned on my life's journey is that I have a choice on how I respond to life. This quote inspired me many years ago...
I see gratitude as not just a command but a choice, a choice to live a happier, healthier life, filled with hope, joy and love for the small and the big things.
If you struggle with gratitude, like I have along the way, here are some things I have done to cultivate more of it.
Use a journal, a simple plain journal, start to write down 3 things a day you are grateful for, why 3? Because its a small number and you will WIN at that, it is doable, I always say start small. By the way this is great to 'kick start' gratitude practice when you have let it go for a bit or are going through something hard.
If you struggle to find 3 things, think of the every day things that you use or enjoy that many in our world don't have, clean water to drink, hot shower, food in the cupboard, clothes to wear, shoes on your feet, roof over your head, car (if you have one), good health, children (if you have them) friends....
Usually once you start the list like this you will just keep thinking of more things
Set aside time each day, can be first thing in the morning (my fav because it sets up your day well) or at the end of the day before sleep, or both. 5 mins is all you need.
If you find yourself complaining or being negative in your head or out loud often, catch yourself and finish with something to be grateful for about the situation, there is ALWAYS something, even if it is small.
Remember my favourite mantra?
What you feed expands and grows, what you focus on you will find more of.
Gratitude is a mindset shift, a habit, a choice. It is available to us all. We can choose it no matter where we are, or what we are going through. It is something that no one can take away from you.
We extend our gratitude practice to others, we can be grateful for things, for people, for relationships, for experiences, for things about ourselves, for gestures, for our environment, for freedom, for faith, for love.
The more we look for things to be grateful for, the more we will find.
The bible talks a lot about our thinking and our mind.
What we think matters, what goes on in our heads, then translates into what comes out our mouths and then into actions. This can create our reality. Let this empower you, inspire you, because we get to change this stuff, we can't control or change others, their behaviours, thoughts or lives, but we can change ourselves, which then changes our perspective and responses.
An oldy but a goodie is this simple verse that helps us be wise with our thoughts first
Philippians 4:8. Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
If I am finding gratitude tough, I ask for Gods help, I ask him to help me focus on the positives, to see him at work, for the things to give thanks for.
I try to start each morning just giving thanks for the new day, I woke up! It is a gift.
I start by saying "Thank you Lord for the gift of today"
Go well on your gratitude journey my friends, I would love to hear what you do to cultivate it yourself, share in the comments below this blog.
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Thanks for checking in, remember you are loved more than you know, your life matters, you are hear for a reason.
Arohanui
Jen Tyson
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