Go from grumpy to grateful

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstance; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

— I Thessalonians 5:16,18 (NIV)

Advertisements for turkey sales and all the fixings signal once again it’s time to plan our dinners and be thankful for what we have. But drowning in debt with the high cost of groceries, taxes and utility bills, we wonder how to do that.

Life can be tough. I understand, because I coach people going through hard times, and have been through plenty of my own.

Also, nowadays, you can’t have a conversation with a friend without hearing about someone’s tough circumstances. And to make it worse, just do a bit of doomscrolling each day, and your head will be swimming with thoughts of despair.

I don’t think God expects us to be thankful for our tough times, but in them. There’s something mystical that happens to our soul when we utter a word, write a list or sing a song of thanksgiving.

Even mental health experts say that learning to have an attitude of gratitude can make our moods brighter and improve our health.

Like forgiveness, I think when we are grumpy and ungrateful, we are sabotaging our own well-being by poisoning our soul. I believe that’s why God instructs us to be thankful in all circumstances. It takes us from bitter to better.

The Apostle Paul and his buddy Silas were in prison. They sang praises of thanksgiving and God miraculously delivered them from their circumstances.

I can’t promise that being thankful will do the same thing for each of us. But I think, for some positive results, we need to be intentional about keeping a watch on our grumpy attitudes.

I’m not saying we can’t vent or discuss our concerns. Or, that we should believe things aren’t bad. Rather, we need to balance it out with a prayer or a thought of at least one thing we are grateful for in our life. Even if, day after day, it’s still that one same thing.

Let’s challenge ourselves to cultivate a spirit of thanksgiving and go from grumpy to grateful.

• Annettee Budzban is a Christian author of the book “Letters To A Friend,” speaker, life and writing coach and nurse. She can be contacted at annetteebudzban@aol.com.