Life Plan Devotion #32 [attitude of gratitude]

Hi, Everyone.
I trust you had a great weekend and you're ready for an awesome week. It's raining here in Kansas, but it's supposed to get up to the 60s today, so that will be nice. I'm grateful for the gift of a new day.

Life Plan Devotion #32 [attitude of gratitude]

     Do you have an attitude of gratitude? I'm not talking about the things for which most of us are thankful:  family, friends, food, clothing, shelter. A true attitude of gratitude sees and appreciates even the smallest joy in our past, present, and future. An attitude of gratitude takes nothing for granted.
     Focus on being grateful/thankful today. Perhaps today will bring a challenge, and you will overcome it. Maybe you'll give or receive forgiveness today. Think of the many who are out of work today, and be thankful for your job. Appreciate your eyesight, even your hindsight. Whatever the weather today, be it sunshine, rain, or cold, be thankful for another day of life. Show gratitude to others, too, today, with a smile, a "thank you" or some words of encouragement. Be sure to give thanks to God for it all, for when you do that, you're ministering to Him.

Luke 17:15-17
"One of the [ten lepers], when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, 'Praise God!' He fell to the ground at Jesus' feet, thanking Him for what He had done. This man was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, 'Didn't I heal ten men? Where are the other nine?'"

What this has to do with weight loss:  All too often, on our weight-loss journey, we focus on what's going wrong, instead of what's going right. It's when we focus on what's going right that we develop an attitude of gratitude, and that attitude of gratitude will positively affect what's going wrong. Give it a try, and you'll see.

Prayer for Today:
"Heavenly Father, I want to be the unexpected one, the one who comes to You, to give thanks. I want to be so grateful that I throw myself at Your feet and raise my voice in loud praise to You. Never do I want to hear You ask of me, 'Weren't you healed, too?'  Father, You have saved me, cleansed me, blessed me, helped me, provided for me, and loved me unconditionally, and I thank You. Remind me constantly of the millions of other wonderful things, people, cir****tances for which I should be grateful. More than anything, I want to say 'Thank You!' with my life. In Jesus' Name, I pray. Amen."

Go forth today, in an attitude of gratitude.

Blessings,
Mary

Thank you for another great devotional.

One of the most worthwhile projects that I ever did was to start a gratitude journal.  Each day I wrote down 3 specific things that I was grateful for that day.  And I didn't allow myself to write down the same ones each day, which of course led to more awareness of all the good in my life, and even more gratitude.  It's a wonderful tool to use, especially if you are having trouble counting your blessings.

I have no idea when or why I stopped keeping this journal.  But perhaps it's time to start one again.

Have a beautiful day!
Vickie

Hi, Vickie.
I kept a gratitude journal at one time, too. It does help one become more aware of even the small things in life. I have a good friend who doesn't get out of bed in the morning until the Lord gives her a song, then she sings it, writes it down (at least the title), and then gets up. Isn't that sweet? How nice to begin the day with a song. :)  I told her that it makes sense because, after all, Zephaniah 3:17 tells us that God rejoices over us with singing.  I highly recommend journaling, in whatever form benefits you the most. It's all good. :)
Thanks for reading and replying. It blessed me.
Blessings,
Mary