Thanksgiving year-'round

Something the Lord has really been speaking to me this week is the importance of thankfulness. I promise this post is going to be more exciting than it sounds right now. Keep reading if you want a subtle yet extreme positive mindset shift! And if you don't, keep reading anyway because it's good to consider!

Thankfulness is one of the most powerful tools on the planet. Being thankful can totally change the outcome of any situation. Let me explain further.

Say you've had the worst day of your life. Everything is crumbling down and you feel like the world is out to get you. Nothing is going your way and you feel hopelessness at a severity you never thought possible. What is your go-to response? Probably anger. Confusion. Desperation, maybe. In this moment the last thing you think of is thankfulness, and sometimes it's even hard to think of going to God at all. But let me share with you some real life examples of people who were thankful in their desperate situations and how their personal experience was better through it and how others could benefit from it as well.

(On a less relatable note, here's this.)

Acts 16:25 -- "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them."

(Context: Paul and Silas had been imprisoned in Rome for boldly talking about Jesus' ministry and trying to save souls. This was not the only time Paul would be in prison, either. The threat of chains and death did not scare him away from sharing the Truth anyway.)

These guys were literally singing praises to their God even while being persecuted. They were able to witness and share God's goodness even when their circumstances were far from good. That speaks volumes. When you're focused on the Savior instead of the situation it shifts your mindset. When you're focused on God it's hard to be focused on negativity because God is the opposite of negativity. Other people will notice it, too. It will get your mind/heart out of the total funk it would otherwise be in AND allow others to see hope in a hopeless situation.

(On a more relatable note...)

There are about thirteen books in the New Testament written by Paul (a follower of Jesus who had previously killed Christians up until he experienced God for himself). Out of those thirteen, eleven of them (all but Galatians and Titus) start with thanksgiving. He shares with the people he's writing to how he thanks God for them and their ministry and a variety of other things.

I really believe this is the example we should follow when we approach God.

Starting off with thanks gets your heart right.

No matter if the world is on fire (because sin.......free will amiright!??!) God still deserves glory and praise. He is good even if the situation is not. He isn't about to control us all like puppets (because that would not be love). SO thanking Him first of all gives him glory and then second of all reminds us that not everything has to be dog bites and bee stings. Everything has a purpose. Remember, God is rooting for you.

Starting with giving thanks changes the way you perceive your situation. If this is difficult for you to do, I challenge you to write down everything you are thankful for. People, coffee shops, Netflix, the gym -- whatever it may be. It will come naturally for you to think of things to be thankful for even in the midst of you hating everything going on in your life. Not only will this give God glory and remind you that life is better than what's going on right now, but it will help shape your future reactions to things and prepare you for the larger blows yet to come.

THANK YOU (heheheh) for reading!!! I hope this helped all of you in one way or another.