Two thousand years ago, the Bible told us that “a grateful heart is good medicine.” Proverb 17. Today, a scientific Harvard study has shown that gratitude reduces depression by 35%. It would seem that there has long been support for the opinion that we should have an attitude of gratitude.
I like to think of myself as a very thankful person…especially when I get what I want! I’m thankful for my family, my home, my job, the food we eat daily…so many things to be thankful for! But life doesn’t always give us the lemonade we crave…sometimes it hands us a bowl full of sour lemons. Can we be thankful for those?
Not only can we be thankful in the not-so-sweet moments in life, but as Christians, we are called to be thankful in these moments. When the car breaks down, when the money runs low, when the child is sick, when the weather is bad, when the friend is distant…all are opportunities for gratitude. It’s much easier, of course, to have a “GRRRR” attitude during these times.
So, what’s the secret to turning life’s lemons into lemonade and showing gratitude instead of a grrrr-attitude?
It’s simple! God doesn’t call us to be thankful FOR the difficult moments, but rather, IN the di ...
