Thanking God for the Present

This has been a hard week.  I have been so physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted that I found it very hard to look for blessings.  In fact, I had completely stopped.  But that didn’t mean that the blessings stopped.  I had simply refused to look for them.  I had quit trying to see them because I was so swallowed up in my pain, exhaustion, trials, etc… that I did not want to take the time to look around and see how truly blessed I was.

A friend posted this recently as her facebook status:  “What if you woke up today with only what you thanked God for yesterday.”

And that got me to thinking.  What if I truly had woken up this morning with only what I had thanked God for the day before?  I would have next to nothing.  Come to think of it, the only thing I clearly remember thanking God for yesterday was the piece of toast I had for breakfast and whatever I had eaten for lunch and dinner.  How miserable my life truly would be if that was all I had left.  It really puts things into perspective when you look at it this way, doesn't it?  It makes me stop and realize how many blessings I have and how much I should be thanking God for.  Even in the midst of my trials I can still sing a broken hallelujah, I can still take time to smell the roses, I can still smile and lift my eyes to Jesus Christ who has wiped away every sin and replaced it with a clean, fresh new start.  Even when it seems I have nothing left to give to those who seem ever ready to take and take from me, I can still smile, I can still hug them, and I can still say “I love you”.  There is always something I can do and for that I am truly grateful.

A few days later I read another friends facebook status and was surprised at how the Lord can speak the same message multiple times through people all over the world:  “Focusing on the past = depression, focusing on the future = anxiety, thankfulness for the present = contentment.”

How true that is.  If we focus on all the negatives we will be sure to find them everywhere we look and we can become so depressed that we lose hope.  But if we choose to look at the present blessings that are all around us we will live a much more peaceful, contented, fulfilling, and joyful life.  

Focus on God’s gift, the present, and enjoy it! And don't forget to tell me all about what is in your “present” that is blessing you by chosing to "Join this site" and clicking "Comment" on this post and leaving me a message. I would LOVE to hear from you!  Many blessings on your week ahead.