Growing a Grateful Heart

During moments of impatience, or irritation, or discouragement, or injustice, what is it that can flood the obscurity with sunlight?

Praise.

"Life without thankfulness is devoid of love and passion. Hope without thankfulness is lacking in fine perception. Faith without thankfulness lacks strength and fortitude. Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed and limps along the spiritual road." -- John Henry Jowett

Searching for good in the unpredictable and unfortunate circumstances of life is something even the lost can achieve; they call it optimism. But for the children of God, it is pure gratefulness. And it extends far beyond lightheartedness.

It is recognizing God's hand -- working in love, benevolence, and mercy -- in every minute detail... of every single day. It produces in the depths of the soul an unutterable joy because we realize fully that "every good gift and every perfect is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."

Seeing the joy of the LORD
in the boyish grin of my (big =) little brother.

Understanding that when others try my patience, 

it is an opportunity to respond as my Lord would...

to, in a small way, be gracious 

as He is unfathomably, tirelessly gracious to me!

Marveling in the intricacy of a blushing bloom

-- marveling more deeply that the Creator planted it 

in such a place where I could discover it 

& enjoy its sweetness.

Finding God's strength more than sufficient
to overcome my utter weakness,

to triumph over my flesh's desire
to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.

The things I overlook in moments that are swift -- these can become the most integral part of my daily walk with the Lord Jesus... if I will simply slow down, meditate on His abundant grace, and consciously give thanks.

"The Christian who walks with the Lord and keeps constant communion with Him will see many reason for rejoicing and thanksgiving all day long." -- Warren Wiersbe

The Lord continues to shower rich blessings upon me day by day by day. Innumerable windfalls enter my life without a single thought, much less a prayer of gratitude uttered from the fullness of my heart!

Though I fail to bless His holy name, He unconditionally continues to daily load me with benefits. 

That is grace!

My Heavenly Father is so worthy to be praised. How completely I have failed to recognize His gifts of love! What a painful awareness. Instead, how do I respond? I am a miserable, selfish, ungrateful grump!

I realize more fully each day that I fail Him... that unless my Redeemer first fills my heart with cheerfulness, I cannot possibly share it with others. Unless my Strength and my Song first causes gratefulness to well up in my heart, it is impossible to be truly appreciative of what others do for me and, more importantly, of what others mean to me.

I know of no other way to become a grateful child of my Heavenly Father than to consciously consider the goodness He fills my days with. Unacknowledged blessings do nothing for the soul -- but gifts joyfully, humbly received causes the heart to draw nearer.

It is because I want to consciously give thanks for God's goodness in my life that I am going to begin something new on this blog. Every now and then, I will write about ten special blessings from above. I am unable to express how eager I am to begin! My greatest prayer for this undertaking is that a change of spirit will be produced in me -- that it will help me to focus less and less on myself, and be always seeking God's pleasure and others' happiness.

Psalm 66:16 Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.

In the photos: petunias, foxgloves, and wild roses.