Gratitude

What is gratitude and why do I want it?
Oh, Boy.When that question came into my life, I had a lot to learn (and still do) . Over the last 3 years the lesson God seems to be pounding into my head is learn to be thankful, to have and show my gratitude.
If you have never seen the movie Courageous, I highly recommend it. Done by a church in Albany, Georgia, it has some great lessons and is a good guy flick that you can watch together. There is a follow-up book for men and women. I got the one for a woman, imagine that, "The Resolution for Women". The first chapter was about being content with where God has you right now, which requires being grateful for all He has given you.
Well, when you live in a small cabin, in the middle of no where with no amenities, "thank you" is not the first thing on your mind. But as I read the chapter, I started seeing what He had given me. Then I started to see that He gave me everything I HAD to have, that is, needed. What was making me dissatisfied were the things I thought I needed or wanted, but didn't have yet. And as I started to read any other chapter, I would go back to the first one on gratitude.
Just to make sure I was getting the point (with God there are no coincidences), the women's group at AVEFC (my church) started a Bible study on Gratitude. This was a very nice one from Ann Voskamp that helps get you thinking about being thankful for every thing, big and little. God has put you where you are for a reason and He likes to show us big and small things that we can turn to our Abba, Father and say, "Thank you." The study is called "One Thousand Gifts."
I started a little diary of things I was thankful for, and started taking pictures of things I was thankful for. But eventually, I stopped writing and rarely took pictures. I did not, however, forget to thank God for the things and people in my life. I just was not recording them.
I think that was part of why I started a blog, to note what things I was grateful for and share them (see FrontierLivingToday). Writing on the computer comes much easier for me and is a natural outlet.
What has being grateful done for me? Helped make me content, instead of thinking my life will be better when . . . . What a trap that is. A person can never be happy or contented without gratitude for what is theirs right then.
Is that a trap for you, too? Do you find yourself thinking, things will be better when I get married, or get a new car, or move away from here. No. You cannot find happiness. It is a decision you make to be happy, grateful, content. Working towards goals is good, but letting the obtaining of the goal define if you are happy, makes happiness unattainable.
Learn to see all the things that you have, and that God has blessed you with. Be grateful right here and now. You will start to change how you even talk to yourself with things like, "Wow, that light changed to green right as I needed it to," or "That shadow of the tree is really striking with the sun behind it like that," or even "I am thankful for running water."

May you find all things new in Him,
Frontier Woman @ FrontierChristianLiving