Gratitude Quotient

"Gratitude is learning to recognize ad express appreciation for the benefits we have received from God and from others."

Things are going to look a bit different on here the next 30 days.  I am doing a 30 day study on gratitude.  This comes from Nancy Leigh DeMoss's Choosing Gratitude, a book I have been reading through with my Titus II Mentor, and wonderful friend, from our church.  So, you will be getting my response to the daily gratitude devotional she has in the back of this book.

The reading she gave for today was Colossians 3: 12-17.  This passage starts off stating that we are God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved.  How can you not be thankful for this? It tells us to forgive as Christ forgave us and have compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience and love.  To let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts and the word of Christ dwell in us.  And whatever we do, do it in the name of Jesus, giving thanks! 

This passage just makes me feel good.  It gives me that warm fuzzy feeling all over.  It calls on me to do my best to give this feeling to all those around me as well and be thankful. 

Some days it is very hard to be thankful.  It seems as if everything is against you.  But over and over in this book, the author asks whether we want to whine or worship.  When you look at it that way, which one would you choose?  It is hard to be whiny when you start of your day recognizing a few things you are thankful for.  It puts things in perspective.  We have so much to be thankful for and so little to whine about.  Why waste our time and drown our spirits in whining when we could be smiling through thankfulness? 

In today's devotion, she asks us to grade ourselves on a gratitude quotient?  On a scale from 1 to 10, I would probably give myself a 6.  I am not the most grateful person in the world.  Oh yes, I know I am blessed.  I have always been very good at thanking people and God for the good things they do for me.  Ever since starting this book, I have been purposing (most days) to write down 3 things that I am thankful for every morning, this has been a huge help in my gratitude quotient.  But the author makes a point that you can't only be thankful for the cherries and roses in life.  True thankfulness comes in thanking the Lord for everything He brings you through and grows you through.  This, I am not good at.

I am pretty good at whining too.  Something I have learned to catch myself with in the past month of reading this book.  Hopefully by the end of this 30 day study, I will be closer to a 7 or 8. 

How thankful are you?  Learn with me as we grow in gratitude the next 30 days.