Thankfulness

"When eating bamboo sprouts, remember the man who planted them.“   

Chinese Proverb

Lately, I've had a lot of time to myself - time alone and time to think. Thinking can be good, but sometimes it can lead down roads of discouragement and despair. Occasionally, in order to keep my thinking in the real world, I like to take the time to write down things I am thankful for. And I don't just make a quick short list of the top ten things. That's too easy, and would probably always include the same top ten. No, I challenge myself to make a list of 100 things that I am thankful for! It starts with the usual things - my husband, my family, my friends, my church - but by the time I get to #100, I am listing things that I rarely think of:

• Thank you God for creating eyelashes to protect my eyes.
  
• Thank you God for allowing me to win the spelling bee in 4th grade
  
• Thank you God for the hummingbirds that come to our yard every year
  
• Thank you God for indoor plumbing
• Thank you God that the roach crawled on Mark in the night and not on me

So many things to be thankful for, and yet I rarely take the time to express my gratitude. Psychologist Dr. Brenda Shoshanna said the following:

"There is one sure fire medicine which cures all pain and opens the way for your greater good. It allows you to sleep well at night, wake up refreshed and filled with enthusiasm for your daily tasks. This medicine is abundantly available, has no side effects and can be taken in large or small doses regularly. You need no one to prescribe it. The more you take, the sweeter it is. The medicine is the practice of thankfulness." 

Thankfulness changes us. It changes our thinking. It changes our attitude. It changes our outlook on life. The more we practice thankfulness, the deeper is seeps into our being and transforms us.

I've heard thankfulness defined as "the expression of joy Godward," which explains the power of thankfulness perfectly. When we express our gratitude toward God, He uses it to transform our lives.

I challenge you today to sit down and write out 100 things you are thankful for. It will change you. 

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts... And be thankful. Colossians 3:15 "

"Do you see what we've got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you know how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God." Hebrews 12:28