Tag: attitude of gratitude

Living with an Attitude of Gratitude is a Choice

Posted on by Evangeline

Gratitude by Ziglar

I’m choosing to be grateful for what I have, do, and experience. Years ago, I developed the habit of writing what I was grateful for at the end of each day. You can use this “tool” too! Every night before getting in the bed, I made a quick note about what I was grateful for that day. I made it easy on myself: I wrote 4 simple things that I possessed, did, or experienced that day. Of course, once I got going, I would think of more than 4 things but I limited it to 4 so I wouldn’t feel overwhelmed the next day to come up with a lot of things to be grateful for. But then I stopped doing it…

Even though I still  verbally express my thankfulness, I’ve decided I need to get back on the wagon and refresh that habit of writing things down.

Gratitude is a Choice in the Midst of Negativity

With each expression of gratitude, you acknowledge the good, the favor, and the sweet harmony in your life. The more you give thanks, the more your awareness shifts from the negative to all the positive experiences you have. Using thankful language regularly redirects your focus to His love for you and away from any pain and lack. Expressing gratitude can give you hope!

Thankfulness is a way to kindle the flame of your faith. As the intensity of your faith grows, you find yourself more and more in line with God’s plan of abundance in your life. Keep fanning the flames of your faith by expressing your thankfulness!

Living with an attitude of gratitude is a choice. And if, as Zig Ziglar stated, gratitude brings more to be grateful for, then I’m all in! I choose to be grateful. I expect an abundance of  good things to come my way that will reinforce and grow this attitude so I can constantly be grateful, even in the midst of negativity.

What thing(s) do you do to remind yourself that, in spite of your circumstances, you have much to be grateful for?

Using thankful language regularly redirects your focus to His love for you and away from any pain and lack. Click To Tweet
gratitude in infertility

Being Thankful–Even in the Midst of Infertility

Posted on by Evangeline

“No matter how much we ask for something,
it becomes ours only as we accept it and give thanks for it.”
– Agnes Sanford, The Healing Light

 

Gratitude in infertility is difficult but it is possible. And know that even though you’re not grateful for infertility, you can be grateful in this season of infertility. There is always something to be grateful for! But it’s your choice to communicate and exhibit gratitude.

As a follow-up to my previous blog post, here are some additional effective ways to express and practice gratitude. I hope you find them helpful and that you’ll use them to uplift yourself, especially on “hard” days.

  • Start by remembering that God is with you. If you’ve asked Jesus into your heart, you can be assured He will never leave you. He always desires to bless you with His unfailing grace.

I will never leave you alone, never! And I will not loosen my grip on your life! – Hebrews 13:5

  • Rest in knowing that infertility is not a punishment from Him. Be thankful that God is for you and not against you.

What shall we say about such wonderful things as these?
If God is for us, who can ever be against us? – Romans 8:31 NLT

 

Be Encouraged by Expressing Gratitude in Infertility

 

  • Be thankful that He has given so many examples of women who overcame infertility along with promises in the Bible that relate to your fertility.

You will be blessed above all peoples; there will be no infertile male or female among you. – Deuteronomy 7:14 HCSB

  • Thank Him that you can count on Him to make good on His fertility promises.  Even during the moments when you doubt His ability, willingness, and timing, stand firm in being thankful that He keeps His Word.

It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit.
It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it. – Isaiah 55:11 NLT

Standing firm in the heavens and fastened to eternity is the word of God. – Psalm 119:89 TPT

  • Believe that He loves you unconditionally, just as much as He loves Jesus, and be thankful for His constant expressions of love.

For they will see that you love each one of them
with the same passionate love that you have for me. John 17:23 TPT

You open yourself to more possibilities when you maintain an attitude of gratitude!

What will you be intentionally thankful for today?

Gratitude in infertility is difficult but it is possible. And know this... even though you’re not grateful FOR infertility, you can be grateful IN this season of infertility. Click To Tweet
gratitude

How Life Gets Better When You Are Accessing the Power of Gratitude

Posted on by Evangeline

There is power in gratitude– in saying “Thank you” and truly feeling grateful. Even scientific studies have shown gratitude is so powerful that it balances us and gives us hope.

Those studies show that gratitude, a positive, appreciative attitude, contributes to greater success in work, greater health, peak performance in sports and business, a higher sense of well-being, and a faster rate of recovery from surgery. Whew! Who knew that so much goodness was contained in the simple practice of saying, “Thank you”?

Do  you use gratitude as a tool that moves you toward happiness and peace?

Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7 TPT and TLB

For gratitude to meet its full healing potential in our lives,  we have to learn a new way of looking at things. We need to make gratitude a habit. And that can take some time. That’s why practicing gratitude makes so much sense. When we practice giving thanks to God for all we have, instead of complaining about what we lack, we give ourselves the chance to see all of life as an opportunity and a blessing. We become less focused on our problem and more focused on the Provider and His loving provision.

Some Ways to Practice the Power of Gratitude

  1. Keep a gratitude journal in which you list things for which you are thankful; it will remind you to think in a grateful way.
  2. Practice gratitude around the dinner table or make it part of your bedtime routine.
  3. Make it a personal challenge to search for the overlooked blessing when you’re in a challenging situation.
  4. When you feel like complaining, make a gratitude list instead. You may be amazed by how much better you feel.

So, what do you do to ensure that you are continually on the lookout for something good and being thankful for it?

 

Practicing Gratitude Year-Round by Seeing the Good

Posted on by Evangeline

Practicing gratitude can cause a sizable and positive shift in how you view life. The practice of gratitude as a tool for happiness has been in the mainstream for years. Long-term studies support gratitude’s effectiveness, suggesting that a positive, appreciative attitude contributes to greater success in work, better health, a higher sense of well-being, and even a faster rate of recovery from surgery.

While we may acknowledge gratitude’s many benefits, it still can be difficult to sustain. It’s more “natural” for us to notice the negative and not the positive. We tend to focus on what is broken, undone or lacking in our lives. And for gratitude to meet its full healing potential in our lives, it should be more than a word we speak about every Thanksgiving season. We have to learn a new way of looking at things, a new habit of seeing the good on purpose. And that can take some time…and practice.

gratitude

Practicing Gratitude by Thanking God

That’s why practicing gratitude makes so much sense. When we practice giving thanks for all we have, instead of complaining about what we lack, we give ourselves the chance to see all of life as an opportunity and a blessing.

Remember that gratitude isn’t a blindly optimistic approach in which the bad things in life are ignored. It’s more a matter of where we put our focus and attention. Pain and injustice exist in this world, but when we focus on the gifts of life, we gain a feeling of well-being. We develop an attitude of gratitude. Gratitude balances us and gives us hope. Gratitude helps us to see the love of God being expressed in so many ways in our lives.

Some of the things I’m grateful for today: family, God’s promises of good health, clean water, my body and mind working well, friends who listen and really care, chocolate, fresh food, the ability to touch YOUR life through my writing, spring weather, butterflies, and so much more!

What’s on your list?

Tell me one thing you’re grateful for today! 🙂

Gratitude balances us and gives us hope. Gratitude helps us to see the love of God being expressed in so many ways in our lives. Click To Tweet
Thankful in advance

Being Thankful in Advance Helps to Kindle the Flame of Your Faith

Posted on by Evangeline

Being thankful in advance of seeing the answer to your prayer request is a means of fanning the flame of your faith.

Praying God’s Word is an important principle for answered prayer. Philippians 4:6 encourages us to pray instead of worrying. In the midst of that prayer, we need say what God has said in His Word. And before the end of that prayer, we need to thank God for the answer, even before we see it or experience it. It’s a matter of expecting Him to show a high degree of integrity by following through on His word.

Paul wrote this verse to encourage the Philippians to freely give thanks; to use grateful language as an act of worship. Giving thanks to God is an expression of joy toward Him– of gratitude for HIs favor. Paul also wrote on the topic of being thankful in his letter to the Colossians. He encouraged them to live with an overflow of gratefulness. We’re to never stop giving thanks to God because it’s a form of praise. Praise keeps us aware of His presence!

Thankful During Infertility

I don’t believe I ever felt thankful for the infertility I experienced. But I did find ways to be thankful in it. I was thankful for Jesus’ comfort and wisdom, my supportive husband, my praying mother. My numerous caring and fun friends, the doctor who was understanding about my desire to avoid fertility treatments, my job with benefits, etc. were additional blessings I was thankful for.

Gratitude gave me strength and hope. It was a foundational building block for my faith that I would have a baby.

Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do.
~ 1 Thessalonians 5:18 CEV

Being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith…and overflowing with gratitude.
~ Colossians 2:7 CSB

In the midst of infertility, it’s hard to see much to be thankful for because your focus is always influenced by what you don’t have… a baby. So it becomes a choice to admit that you can’t get along without Him, to purposely recognize God’s kindness, and to have a mindset of gratitude. This mindset involves thinking of ALL that God has done for you, especially in other areas of your life that aren’t directly connected to your fertility. And, it involves thanking Him for His loving hands working on your behalf, even when you can’t see it. You can find ways of thanking Him in advance of seeing the manifestation of your desires.

Thankful in Advance

With each expression of gratitude, you acknowledge the good, the favor, and the sweet harmony in your life. The more you give thanks, the more your awareness shifts from the negative to all the positive experiences you have. Using thankful language regularly redirects your focus to His love for you and away from any pain and lack.

Thankfulness is a way to kindle the flame of your faith. As the intensity of your faith grows, you find yourself more and more in line with God’s plan of abundance in your life. Keep fanning the flames of your faith by expressing your thankfulness!

I never felt thankful FOR the infertility I experienced. But I did find ways to be thankful IN it. Gratitude gave me strength and hope. Click To Tweet

 

 

The Power of Gratitude

Posted on by Evangeline

Expressing gratitude is a powerful way to start your day every morning. Today I decided to share excerpts from posts as far back as 2012 that I hope will encourage you to always be on the lookout for something good and be thankful for it.

If you’re struggling with infertility, it’s so easy to get caught up in all that’s going wrong, the disappointment that comes month after month, the emotional drain of it all, the possible health scares, the financial toll, and the marital problems that tend to stealthily creep in. But today, make a DECISION to look for the things in life you’ll be thankful for.

Start by remembering that God is with you. If you’ve asked Jesus into your heart, He has promised to never leave you and to always bless you with his unfailing grace. Continue to rest in knowing that God is for you and not against you (Romans 8:31). Be thankful that He has given so many examples of women who overcame infertility along with promises in the Bible that relate to your fertility. Thank Him that you can count on Him to make good on those promises (Isaiah 55:11).  Even during the moments when you doubt His ability, willingness, and timing, stand firm in being thankful that He still loves you. Believe that He loves you no-matter-what, just as much as He loves Jesus (John 17:23).

Be thankful that there is nothing too hard for God, not even infertility (Genesis 18:14)!

WHY should I be grateful?

  • What I have, I don’t deserve because of my goodness, rather, it’s all because of Jesus’ goodness.
  • Gratitude and Peace are interconnected; the more gratitude I express to God, the more of His peace I experience.
  • It’s a way to express my indebtedness to others and to God, thereby helping me to become a better servant-leader.
  • Gratitude is a choice; I can just as easily choose to complain about life instead of being grateful.

I choose to celebrate that God loves me and blesses me, even when circumstances around me are teeming with reasons to not be grateful!

KEEP AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE!

Choose to be grateful. Expect an abundance of good things to come your way that will reinforce and grow this attitude so you can constantly be grateful, even in the midst of difficult circumstances.

 

What thing(s) do you do to remind yourself that, in spite of your circumstances, you have much to be grateful for?

Gratitude by Ziglar

Monday’s Marinade-Thankfulness

Posted on by Evangeline

Monday’s Marinade is provided to you as a means of “soaking yourself” in the hope-filled Word of God at the beginning of your week. Start your week by meditating on this Word (think about it and mutter it to yourself).  

Thankfulness is powerful! Marinate and season your week with the power of saying “Thank You” to God.

Here’s your spiritual marinade for thankfulness this week:

Monday's Marinade-Psalm 100

 

Focus Friday-Gratitude Again!

Posted on by Evangeline

Here’s a quick note about gratitude.

Yes, I know I’ve had quite a few posts about gratitude lately but this theme just keeps whooshing through my mind like waves at the seashore.

I hope this repeated focus on gratitude is something that will encourage you to interrupt the stress of  your day by being grateful for some simple things. I like thanking out loud God for parking spaces close to the building I need to walk to (especially when it’s 113 degrees outside), the 7 consecutive  green lights I drove through so I could be on time, the opportunity to do a random act of kindness for someone, favor that I received from someone, etc.

Gratitude helps to lighten the emotional and mental load you carry and it gives you something to smile about.

What’s something that you can be thankful for today?

Gratitude - EV turquoise 2

Focus Friday – Gratitude

Posted on by Evangeline

I thought I’d keep the theme of gratitude going today since I’m still doing my gratitude challenge.

If you want to check your attitude of gratitude, here are some scriptures to keep in mind that can increase your level of thankfulness, especially in the midst of trials and troubles.

Gratitude Verses for blog

 

My Gratitude Challenge

Posted on by Evangeline

Gratitude is the kick-starter for experiencing joy in life.

When I am purposely thankful, I tend to find that joy is just around the corner. It seems like being thankful gets the joy juices flowing!

gratitude - be thankful

I decided last week that I wanted to express my gratitude with more consistency. This past Monday, on 6/1/15, I started a fun and easy gratitude challenge for myself, for 7 days. The more I thought about it, the more I wanted to share my challenge with others. To see if anyone else wanted to join me, I posted the challenge on my Facebook Page. The response was definitely more than I thought it would be!

I’m sharing the challenge here in case you’d like to join me.

Are you open to a fun and easy, but REALLY powerful 7-day challenge so that you can activate and experience more positivity and joy in your life?

When you wake up in the morning, 
find 3 NEW things to be grateful for and celebrate them. Do this for 7 mornings in a row.

Let me know if you’re in by commenting “Yes” below. Be sure to come back here to share the impact of your gratitude moments.

It’s not too late! Just start your 7-day challenge tomorrow when you wake up. I told you it’s easy! 🙂

I’m posting something on my Facebook Page each day to give my fellow challenge-takers an inspirational boost. Check out those gratitude notes here. Please LIKE my Page while you’re there!

No matter what you’re facing today, gratitude is key in initiating a breakthrough. It enables you to take your eyes off the immediate problem of whatever you’re lacking so that you can focus more on Who your Source is and what He has already provided.

I’m thankful that you stopped by today!

What are you thankful for?