Considering the skies, hearing sounds of the birds of the air and being greeted with nice cool morning breeze. Observing the plants, tiny, small and great, this is all wonderment of God; the most amazing thing is that he created all that for you. How mindful of him?

Many times we expend our energies in pursuing so many different things in life, work, careers, marriages, professions, sorting out family uproars and many more similar activities. At times these happenings may poise a huge toll on our lives especially if we don’t get any sense of approval or accomplishment.

Such activities are there for human beings and are part of us. On the other hand there are not there to last forever. Even in such stressful conditions God want us to enjoy life and have complete peace of mind.

If we can only allow him for 5 minutes to hear what he wants to tell you, forget your requests for a while and concentrate on his word and promises.  See goodness in the things he has created, thank him; see the possibility of him fulfilling your heart desires, perceive that you are a reason he created those things that exist.

He will definitely speak to you. Whatever you will hear from him follow and do it diligently, that will significantly change your life. Do not always push for your own agenda; seek to know his agenda for your life.

Overcoming any problem begins with a thankful heart. Those are words to a song I heard years ago. When I first heard them, I thought, “how could that be true?” I wasn’t convinced that the writer of the song knew what she was talking about so I began to check the words out against my problems. Sure enough, no matter what it was I was challenged with, I really did not begin overcoming the situation until I began to look at what I had to be thankful for in it.

Thankfulness adjusts our attitude. Does anyone out there need an attitude adjustment?  I remember my mother telling me at times to adjust my attitude. She would do so with her hands on her hips which meant I better adjust it quickly.

I Thessalonians 5:15 is our prescription for an attitude adjustment and just what God orders for His kids. It says, “Be joyful always; pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (NIV) God is too good to tell us to do something and not provide what we need to do it. Our job is to obey and He will supply. Our job is also to ask Him for what we need and admit we cannot do it without Him.

Sometimes overcoming begins with simply thanking God because He is good.            Psalms 107:1 says, “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good and  his love endures forever.” When we can’t think of anything to be thankful for, we can always start with thanking God for his love. No matter what we are going through, we can rest in the fact that we are loved by the creator of the universe. We may not always feel loved and actually be rejected by people, but nothing can separate us from God’s love for us. His love has comforted me on many a difficult day as I simply made the statement, “God I thank you that you are good and you love me.” Those words help me adjust my attitude and remind me of the truth. I have prayed this prayer to help renew my mind when it has battled looking at all I have lost in the death of my mother. No matter what my circumstances, He is good and He loves me.

Gratefulness is my quick access to the presence of God, especially on the difficult days. His presence is what comforts me, gives me hope, helps me and is my anchor. Some days I do better than others, but scripture says in Psalms 95:2 , “Come into his presence with thanksgiving…” (KJV) If you need more of His presence, try thanksgiving. It works for me.

I sometimes talk to God like this; “God, I need your help. Your word says to give thanks in all things so all I can think to thank you for is what I will learn in this situation. Thank you for the experience I will gain. Thank you for helping me through this.” God is faithful but often times we must wait on Him and trust Him.

I do not believe God just gives us patience but He will help us to be patient. As we grow in that character, we learn the benefit of trusting His timing. God doesn’t just  give us longsuffering, but He will help us endure difficult things if we look to him. I know this from personal experience as I have walked through the valley of the shadow of death. Anyone can quote a scripture or pass a written test, but character is developed in the soil of difficulties.

Colossians 3:17 states how we are to conduct our lives. “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”  Thanks is an expression of gratitude and gratefulness. Thankful is an adjective that means pleased or relieved. How thankful are you? Do you have an overall feeling of being pleased and relieved? I personally could do better at being thankful.

I know sometimes I have to simply pray, “God change my heart.” to develop an attitude of gratitude. According to this scripture, all our words,our job and actions should be done like we were doing it just for Jesus and with a beautiful attitude of thankfulness.

At the end of the day, all of us have plenty to be thankful for. James 1:17 says,

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”  All that we have that is good, is a gift from God. That is plenty to be thankful for. May God grant you grace today to see and perceive beyond circumstances and be thankful.