The Joy of Gratitude

There are some things we can say about life. Life is short. Life is difficult. Life is uncertain. With uncertainty comes the unexpected: broken dreams, set backs, disappointments to name a few. How can you maintain a thankful heart when it seems everything is going haywire?

One basic principle to having a joyful heart is having a right attitude. When I was sharing with my neighbor about a speech I was presenting tonight in Toastmasters about gratitude her comment was, “Gratitude is attitude, you might want to share that!.”

Choosing a positive attitude along with a grateful heart will determine how you’re going to live your life. It influences choices, perspective and your projected outlook on a what matters most in life. Let’s read how Charles Swindoll explains the meaning of attitude. He quotes:

“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company…a church…a home… The remarkable thing is we  have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude…I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you…we are in charge of our attitudes.”

I could not have said it better!

It’s not what you’re dealt with in life but how you master what your given. Remember the obstacles you’ve overcome? What attitude did you maintain? Perhaps we can not change the way we feel, on the other hand, we can change the way we think? If we train our minds to keep our attitudes in check wouldn’t that change the way we act?

Choosing courageously the right path multiplies joy. Let’s hold tight to truth which will always warm the heart with gratitude.

“Thanks be to God who leads us, wherever we are, on His own triumphant way and makes our knowledge of Him spread throughout the world like a lovely perfume!” 2 Cor 2:14 Phillips