GAIN GRATITUDE


So many people are unable to appreciate what God is doing for them today because they're still haunted by things that happened years ago. It serves a need to remain connected enough to the past that you remember what God has done for you, but you don't want to live in the past. You need to be focused enough on the future that you're moving in the direction God wants you to go, but you don't want to live in the future. You need to learn to live in today. This day, right now, where you are — this is all you have.

Some people are never been able to get past the bitterness of divorce, or have never been able to pick up the pieces after a business loss, or have never been able to get over being treated unfairly, or have never been able to forgive themselves for something they did long ago.

It is this kind of thinking that dissolves a spirit of gratitude. You have to accept the fact that the past is gone. It doesn't do any good to dwell on it. This isn't breaking news; you already know this. I could say it till I'm blue in the face, but it's up to you to decide that you will not be bound to the past. It's a choice that you have to make.

In the same way, many people are unable to appreciate what God is doing for them today because they're obsessed with what might happen in the future. They can't express gratitude today because they're worried about tomorrow. Please realize that as long as you have a pulse, you will have problems and you I will have to deal with pressure. Realize too, that choosing to live in today is a step of faith on your part — a step saying, "God I don't know about the future, I don't know the solution to every problem that I face, but I trust you to see me through." Allow yourself to appreciate the splendor of the morning, and begin to say thanks to God for all the goodness he had put in your life.

Every day brings with it a little bit of pressure. Some days bring a lot of it. Every day you have to make the choice to live in today. Remind yourself that you will do better some days than others. The choice to live in the day is always a step of faith. You will soon come to learn that you cannot experience gratitude unless you I take that step. David said in Psalm 71:8 — “That is why I can never stop praising you; I declare your glory all day long.”

You have to practice gratitude daily in order to get good at it — until it becomes a habit. If you want to get good at gratitude, practice living in today — all day long.

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