Tag: Thankfulness

gratitude

How Life Gets Better When You Are Accessing the Power of Gratitude

Posted on by Evangeline

There is power in gratitude– in saying “Thank you” and truly feeling grateful. Even scientific studies have shown gratitude is so powerful that it balances us and gives us hope.

Those studies show that gratitude, a positive, appreciative attitude, contributes to greater success in work, greater health, peak performance in sports and business, a higher sense of well-being, and a faster rate of recovery from surgery. Whew! Who knew that so much goodness was contained in the simple practice of saying, “Thank you”?

Do  you use gratitude as a tool that moves you toward happiness and peace?

Don’t be pulled in different directions or worried about a thing. Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. If you do this, you will experience God’s peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7 TPT and TLB

For gratitude to meet its full healing potential in our lives,  we have to learn a new way of looking at things. We need to make gratitude a habit. And that can take some time. That’s why practicing gratitude makes so much sense. When we practice giving thanks to God for all we have, instead of complaining about what we lack, we give ourselves the chance to see all of life as an opportunity and a blessing. We become less focused on our problem and more focused on the Provider and His loving provision.

Some Ways to Practice the Power of Gratitude

  1. Keep a gratitude journal in which you list things for which you are thankful; it will remind you to think in a grateful way.
  2. Practice gratitude around the dinner table or make it part of your bedtime routine.
  3. Make it a personal challenge to search for the overlooked blessing when you’re in a challenging situation.
  4. When you feel like complaining, make a gratitude list instead. You may be amazed by how much better you feel.

So, what do you do to ensure that you are continually on the lookout for something good and being thankful for it?

 

Practicing Gratitude Year-Round by Seeing the Good

Posted on by Evangeline

Practicing gratitude can cause a sizable and positive shift in how you view life. The practice of gratitude as a tool for happiness has been in the mainstream for years. Long-term studies support gratitude’s effectiveness, suggesting that a positive, appreciative attitude contributes to greater success in work, better health, a higher sense of well-being, and even a faster rate of recovery from surgery.

While we may acknowledge gratitude’s many benefits, it still can be difficult to sustain. It’s more “natural” for us to notice the negative and not the positive. We tend to focus on what is broken, undone or lacking in our lives. And for gratitude to meet its full healing potential in our lives, it should be more than a word we speak about every Thanksgiving season. We have to learn a new way of looking at things, a new habit of seeing the good on purpose. And that can take some time…and practice.

gratitude

Practicing Gratitude by Thanking God

That’s why practicing gratitude makes so much sense. When we practice giving thanks for all we have, instead of complaining about what we lack, we give ourselves the chance to see all of life as an opportunity and a blessing.

Remember that gratitude isn’t a blindly optimistic approach in which the bad things in life are ignored. It’s more a matter of where we put our focus and attention. Pain and injustice exist in this world, but when we focus on the gifts of life, we gain a feeling of well-being. We develop an attitude of gratitude. Gratitude balances us and gives us hope. Gratitude helps us to see the love of God being expressed in so many ways in our lives.

Some of the things I’m grateful for today: family, God’s promises of good health, clean water, my body and mind working well, friends who listen and really care, chocolate, fresh food, the ability to touch YOUR life through my writing, spring weather, butterflies, and so much more!

What’s on your list?

Tell me one thing you’re grateful for today! 🙂

Gratitude balances us and gives us hope. Gratitude helps us to see the love of God being expressed in so many ways in our lives. Share on X

How Do You See and Label Yourself— As an Infertile or an Overcomer?

Posted on by Evangeline

How you see yourself is important in the grand scheme of life. The images that we hold in our minds are typically what we will experience or become.

Do you see yourself as an infertile woman or as an overcomer of infertility? Even if you are currently experiencing infertility, you can choose to hold a positive picture in your mind’s eye of you being an overcomer!

Do you label yourself as an infertile woman when you’re having conversations with your friends or family? Maybe you’ve heard yourself say, “We don’t have kids yet because I’m infertile.” Even in the midst of this difficult season, you can choose to speak words that help you rise above what the Enemy has sent your way.

Yes, your thoughts and your words are really that influential!

One way to tip the images in your mind and the words from your mouth toward more positivity is through gratitude. When you choose to express thankfulness, you begin to think of even more things to be grateful for.

How you see yourself - Be thankful

 

Gratitude is also what brings you into God’s presence (Psalm 100:4).

Being thankful on purpose results in a shift from negativity and fear to positivity and faith.

You can be grateful that He WILL finish what He has started in your life (Philippians 1:6).

Being thankful on purpose results in focusing on the good. What you focus on expands!

As you cast all your anxieties onto Jesus, you will experience more inner peace (1 Peter 1:7).

Being thankful helps you to more easily recognize the gift of GRACE that God has poured out to you.

When  your words carry and reflect more of the power of life instead of death, you’ll find that you think of your circumstances very differently.

How you see yourself is important. It influences your quality of life. Ask God to help you see yourself the way He sees you– whole, victorious, and loved.

Even if you are currently experiencing infertility, you can choose to hold a positive picture in your mind's eye of you being an overcomer! Share on X

Infertility Help for the Holidays

Posted on by Evangeline

This post about navigating the holidays was originally shared a few years ago. Its message is timeless, so I’m sharing it again (with a few tweaks). Hopefully, you’ll find it uplifting! 

Holidays can be difficult to navigate when you’ve been declared infertile. I remember how easy it was to get caught up in all that was going wrong (infertility). It would have been easy to paint myself into a corner and have a pity party.  I could have chosen to neglect enjoying what’s meant to be a festive and fun time.  With the disappointment that comes month after month, it can become difficult to maneuver through the emotional drain of infertility, the possible health scares, the financial toll, and the marital problems that tend to stealthily creep in.

But during the holiday season, I encourage you to make a DECISION to look for the things in life you can be thankful for. A thankful heart looks beyond its present negative circumstances to the positive possibilities that lie ahead.

You may be asking yourself, “What do I have to be thankful for when all I want is to get pregnant and it isn’t happening?”

Holidays - Be Thankful

 

Here are 5 ways you can choose to be thankful during the holidays:

 Be thankful that God is with you. 

If you’ve asked Jesus into your heart, He has promised to never leave you and to always bless you with his unfailing grace. Be thankful that you can rest in knowing that God is for you and not against you (Romans 8:31).

 

Be thankful that there is nothing too hard for God, not even infertility!

Some people believe that we’re to thank God for putting us in tough situations because that’s how He teaches us something. I believe God is a better teacher than that. He can get his point across to us without putting us in tough situations. I believe that tough situations are brought to our lives by the devil but God can and will bring us out of them. Trust in God’s ability and willingness to make good come out of bad (Genesis 18:14; Genesis 50:20).

 

Be thankful for role models.

Be thankful that He has given so many examples of women who overcame infertility and that He has made promises in the Bible that relate to your fertility. Thank Him that you can count on Him to make good on those promises (Luke 1:7, 24).

 

Be thankful that God hears you as you pray His promises.

“So is my Word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me [through your confession of it] without producing results. As you believe and speak it, My Word will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” ~Isaiah 55:11 [paraphrased]

When you’re in the throes of difficult circumstances, life can become overwhelmingly sad and anxiety-laden. But remember, the One who has the power to change your circumstances is always right there with you in the midst of them, ready to display His power. Trust His love and His promises. God the Father wants to bring you out of the grip of tough times into His gentle caress of peace and rest. That’s what He planned for your destiny.

Giving thanks to God is the means of focusing on the solution rather than the problems we have. When we give thanks in the midst of our problems, we keep victory’s door open. When we’re dealing with infertility, or any other trying circumstance, being thankful to God is the best way to express that we expect Him to show Himself strong on our behalf. Thankfulness reinforces our belief that He will make good things happen.

 

Be thankful that He loves you unconditionally.

God the Father loves you just as much as He loves Jesus (John 17:23)! To have someone who always loves you is wonderful! No matter how much you doubt God’s ability, willingness, and timing, He still loves you. That’s something to be thankful for!

 

You can choose to make the best of the holiday season, in spite of your experience with infertility. One powerful way to do so is to express gratitude for what you have. Consider how you’ve been blessed in your health, relationships, career, finances, etc.

What will you choose to thank God for during the holidays?

 

Monday’s Marinade-Thankfulness

Posted on by Evangeline

Monday’s Marinade is provided to you as a means of “soaking yourself” in the hope-filled Word of God at the beginning of your week. Start your week by meditating on this Word (think about it and mutter it to yourself).  

Thankfulness is powerful! Marinate and season your week with the power of saying “Thank You” to God.

Here’s your spiritual marinade for thankfulness this week:

Monday's Marinade-Psalm 100

 

Focus Friday – Gratitude

Posted on by Evangeline

I thought I’d keep the theme of gratitude going today since I’m still doing my gratitude challenge.

If you want to check your attitude of gratitude, here are some scriptures to keep in mind that can increase your level of thankfulness, especially in the midst of trials and troubles.

Gratitude Verses for blog

 

Why Should I Be…Thankful?

Posted on by Evangeline

You may have asked yourself, “What do I have to be thankful for when all I want is to get pregnant and it isn’t happening?”

Some people believe that we’re to thank God for putting us in tough situations because that’s how He teaches us something. I believe God is a better teacher than that. He can get his point across to us without putting us in tough situations. I believe that tough situations are brought to our lives by the devil and that God can and will bring us out of them.

But when you’re in the throes of difficult circumstances, life can become overwhelmingly sad and anxiety-laden. So what is there to be thankful for? Start by remembering that God is with you. If you’ve asked Jesus into your heart, He has promised to never leave you. Just think about that. The One who has the power to change your circumstances is always right there with you in the midst of them, desiring to lovingly see you through them. He wants to bring you out of the grip of tough times into His gentle caress of peace and rest. That’s what He planned for your destiny.

Rest in knowing that God is for you and not against you (Romans 8:31). Trust that He hears you as you pray His promises. Believe that He loves you unconditionally, just as much as He loves Jesus (John 17:23). To have someone who always loves you no matter how much you doubt His ability, willingness, and timing…that’s something to be thankful for!

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”  ~~ Isaiah 41:10 [NLT]

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