A grateful heart can lead us to a healthier attitude
O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good.
- Psalm 107:1 (AMP)
As we approach our Thanksgiving season in the middle of the pandemic, with the upheaval due to economic losses, loss of lives and even personal dignity, it's easy to forget how blessed we really are.
My greatest lessons in gratitude came during the times of hardships I've endured. Working on maintaining a grateful heart is what pulled me though and eventually brought some of the blessings I sought to receive. After all, if we always had it easy, we wouldn't recognize what to be grateful for.
A friend of mine is dealing with a tormenting knee issue. Pain is her constant companion. She has been searching for remedies to help and is grateful she now has a plan for her rehabilitation.
In our busy lifestyles and complex world, we can forget the simplest things we have to be thankful for. As many of you know, our health is one of the greatest assets we have - we can't do or achieve much without it. Thanking God throughout our day for our health, the things we're able to do, such as walking, talking, bending, lifting or seeing and hearing, are great places to start. Any one of these is an asset.
Being grateful for our finances (as little or much as we have), our family, friends and the simplest things in life goes a long way to show God how thankful we are.
We don't thank God to move Him to do something for us. We thank Him for each precious moment, because doing so improves our attitudes, renews our minds and gives us a new perspective on life, and hope for better things to come. It stops the grumbling and helps us overcome fear and depression. It cultivates satisfaction and fills us with joy.
In these modern times, we take so much for granted. We need to be creative and think about the things God does for us that we appreciate. If we think we have nothing to be thankful for, our eternal salvation alone should be enough.
Learning to have a grateful heart and maintaining it is something we need to start doing. A heart filled with gratitude opens doors for blessings to flow in our lives and praises God for his goodness.
Getting healthy starts with a healthy attitude filled with gratitude.
• Annettee Budzban is a Christian author, speaker, life coach and nurse. She can be contacted at annetteebudzban@aol.com or (847) 543-8413.