Episode 315
Embracing The Blessings of Everyday Life and Cultivating The Habit of Gratitude
"Gratitude begins by acknowledging who God is and what He's done. This isn't dependent on what somebody else has done or even the type of gift that you received from someone." - Wesleyne
Word of the Day: "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." - 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Wesleyne shares insights on the transformative power of gratitude, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging God's blessings in our lives, both big and small.
By practicing gratitude, we shift our focus from negativity to God's goodness.
Takeaways:
- Foundation of Gratitude: Gratitude starts with acknowledging God's blessings.
- Appreciating Everyday Blessings: Recognize and appreciate the small blessings in life.
- Public Acknowledgment: Share your gratitude publicly to witness your faith in action.
- The "Great Eight" Exercise: Practice gratitude by finding eight things to be thankful for, focusing on new beginnings.
- Impact of Gratitude: Gratitude changes the posture of our hearts, leading to a positive mindset and attitude.
Chapters:
- 00:00 - The Foundation of Gratitude
- 01:36 - Appreciating Everyday Blessings
- 02:57 - The "Great Eight" Exercise
- 04:20 - Impact of Gratitude
What questions are you struggling to answer? Wesleyne would love to answer these questions for you personally. Send any questions or prayer requests to hello@askwesleyne.com
Follow Wesleyne on Instagram @wesleynewhittaker
Transcript
Gratitude begins by acknowledging who God is and what he's done. This isn't dependent on what somebody else has done or even the type of gift that you received from someone. Ingratitude begins with a heart that refuses to be satisfied and rejects the giver as well as his gifts.
So when we think about gratitude, we should start with, I am so grateful that God has done this for me. I am so grateful that God has woken me up this morning. I am so grateful that God has blessed me with a car to drive to work today. I am so grateful that God has given me children to love and to raise.
We start with acknowledging God, because if we say, I'm grateful for this job, I'm grateful for this car, but you know, I wish I could pay my car off sooner. I'm grateful for these children, but I wish they wouldn't act up so much. That is considered ingratitude.
And when we start our day and end our day with gratitude.
It does something to us internally.
Wesleyne (:It signals to our mind that I'm okay, that God has given me all I need for the season that I am in.
I'm not full of pride. I am humble and I am focused on God.
And it reminds me that I shouldn't take for granted the small everyday blessings God gives me. I shouldn't take for granted that I'm able to speak right now because there are so many people who don't have that ability. I shouldn't take for granted that I woke up this morning because many, many people didn't wake up this morning.
Wesleyne (:in looking for things to be grateful for. We shouldn't overlook the small things.
Think about even the small, tiny things that God has given us. We should remember them.
And we should acknowledge these publicly so that other people see our faith in action.
Wesleyne (:When I think of gratitude and I think of people who have gratitude journals.
they tend to focus on the big things they are grateful for. I'm grateful for this job. I'm grateful for my marriage. I'm grateful for my kids. And it is fantastic and necessary to be grateful for the big things. But what happens is we're always waiting for something big to show that we're grateful. We don't celebrate the small little blessings. We don't celebrate.
all of the winds along the way to get to the big blessing.
Wesleyne (:So today I compel you, I want you to try this exercise. It's called the Great Eight. And anytime you're in a moment and you're feeling a little bit low, a little bit down, our normal propensity is to clam up and focus on all the bad things. But I want you to take some time and just...
Hold your hand out until you get to eight and find eight things that you are grateful for. And why eight? Eight signifies a number of new beginnings. And after you get to eight, you would have opened a new beginning. The sadness that you have should have lifted a little bit. It may still be there. You may have a very heavy thing that you are sad or down about.
But when we focus on the good that God has given us, it changes the posture of our heart. And we know that through everything, everything starts with our heart. And once we change the posture of our heart, then it will impact our mind, it will impact how we feel. And so we show up differently when we are focused on the wonderful things that God has done.
to let us pray. Dear Heavenly Father, today I ask you to give us a grateful heart. Lord, I ask you to help us focus on the many blessings that you have given to us and not just focus on them quietly, but proclaim them, share them with our friends and our family. Let the world know all of the goodness and glory that you have done for us. Because Lord, we know that you are our reason.
You are the reason that we are. You are the reason that we show up. You are the reason for everything that we do in our life. And so we wanna give you glory and honor and praise by being grateful. In your holy and precious name I pray, amen.
