Start with a Grateful Heart

Is it that simple? That a grateful heart is a great place to start? Do we complicate everything into tangled threads of despairing why nots, if only, and why me questions? Is it true that dwelling on what we don’t have or waiting to be grateful ONLY when we get “the thing” we’ve hoped for, just spins us in spirals of discontentment or at the very least, switches our mind and thoughts straight to the negative, ‘my life stinks’ channel? In this twisted, winding and unfulfilled path, are we not just letting circumstances rule our precious God given moments in this fleeting life? YES, YES and YES!

I am learning from seasons of personal experience that the place to start is simply to have a grateful heart. I don’t say this lightly and I know life can serve up some crazy and unexpected curve balls. Some hard hitting balls that hurt beyond what I will share. Tough stuff. But, hear me out before you kick me out of the game. Take a peek into one of the seasons of learning in my life….

One of my daughters has recently gone through a tough season of closed doors, no’s and many things not shaking her way. On top of that, within a 2 month time span, she experienced a car break in, laptop and iPad stolen, two car accidents, a totaled car, missed interviews that she was so pumped about, and believe it or not, I could go on. I’ll spare you. But, you are probably getting a clear peek, right? It’s been a hard season with lots of why me’s and other thoughts causing her to spin in that cycle of yuck and such. Cue the entrance of me…. Let me introduce myself:

Hey, hey! I’m Sheri, aka, empathizer, sympathizer, feeler of what you feel. If it hurts you, then it hurts me. You are sad and despairing? I’m tracking with you. It might as well be happening to me, too. I ask the ‘but why’ questions on your behalf. And hello again, I’m Sheri, also helper and want to be ‘fixer upper’ of you and your situation and sad heart. ESPECIALLY, if you are my family. Nice to meet you.

It’s always something, right? Always some yuck. Always some negative stuff. Always some things not shaking our way. But, there is always something else. But, there is always SOMEONE else. But, GOD. So much in those two words. So much hope, trust, peace, joy and a better way. A better outlook.

But, God. But, God has been teaching me for a while about Philippians 4:6-8, which says: “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and THANK HIM for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. And now, dear bothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Such good stuff on its own. Such TRUTH!! But, God also had me in the book of James in our groups bible study during this season. Though I had studied it before, this time one of the verses kept ringing in my heart. It was front and center in my thoughts. James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father…” Who doesn’t love a gift? But a good and perfect gift? Now we are talking!! But wait a minute. Can those good and perfect gifts from God not feel so “ good and perfect” sometimes? Hang with me here. Are no’s good and perfect gifts? Are hard seasons and trials good and perfect gifts? Is God to be trusted with the no’s in our lives as much as he is with the yes’s? He is Sovereign, right? Can the hard season be used as a refining and defining season? Can we choose to believe that the hard season will mature us in our walk with Jesus? Maybe you are wanting to shout, NO, NO and NO. I get it. But Again, YES, YES AND YES.

We can absolutely turn every anxious thought into choosing to pray with thanksgiving . We can be thankful that God sees, He knows, He is working it all out. He can be trusted. We can choose to think about what is true, right and praise worthy and be grateful, completely GRATEFUL, that the God of all creation is the One who is weaving our beautiful life tapestry together. He knows how every thread of circumstance, good and not so good, works together for our eternal good and He knows the stunningly, lovely, finished tapestry that will bring Him the most glory. But, God! The Great Artist. The Master Weaver. The Giver of every good and perfect gift. Even when we don’t see them that way. Even when the good and perfect gift is a closed door and another no.

So, back to that season. I began to choose to thank God for every closed door, every no that my daughter received. And the car stuff? What was good in that? She miraculously wasn’t injured. Thank you, Jesus! The other people involved had no injuries, either. Praise God! Kind people were involved at every turn, even offering to secure an interview for her in place of the one she had missed. Thank you, God, for the kindness of others! It was a choice to look for what was good and praise worthy and to think on those things. Now, let’s be real here. There were tears and feelings of being overwhelmed in all of these situations on my end. I’m human. This is life. Life can be crazy. But choosing to intentionally shift to a grateful heart led me to that peace that began to guard my heart and mind. That peace that passes understanding. That peace that is explained in one word. JESUS. The One and only peace giver. The One I can trust with all of life’s yes’s and no’s, the good and not so good. Being grateful for things not shaking out kept me from the pit of woes and despair. Mind you, I sometimes had to repeat “I trust you, Jesus” over and over until the words shattered the doubt that would try to sneak in.

My daughter has since received some yes’s. Doors opened by God’s hand and we are all so grateful and giving God the glory. But what I find myself the most grateful for is what God accomplished in each of our lives. Learning that we can have joy and peace in the hard season. Learning to trust Him and His unchanging love for us in deeper ways. Learning to be intentional with our gratefulness. Learning to persevere in prayer when we feel like giving up hope. You know, the lasting and eternal things. The things that only point to Jesus. Lean in for this. Hear it in your head and your heart. If you are in the middle of icky, negative thoughts of why me, if only, and despairing why nots, then begin to read and meditate on Philippians 4:6-8. Choose to turn every worry into praying with a grateful heart. Grateful that God is good and can be fully trusted. Choose to think on what is good, right and true. Choose to trust God with every no and even dare to thank Him. That’s right. Thank Him for His sovereign no’s. Because God knows what your completed life tapestry will look like. And trust me, we will be grateful He was the one weaving it and working the threads for our good and His glory and not us. What a tangled ball of thread we would surely weave.

A grateful heart? It’s a great place to start!!