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shift your focus with gratitude

3/4/2021

9 Comments

 
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“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18, NIV

I find it so easy to be thankful when everything is going well. When my prayers are being answered; when things that I've been visualizing are physically manifesting themselves in my life; and when I'm executing the plans and achieving the goals that I've set for myself, it's easy for me to be thankful. However, I find it more challenging to be thankful when things aren't going so well in my life.

How about you?

Do you find it easy to give thanks when your day is going well? You’re wearing your favorite t-shirt. You got a great parking spot. Your coffee is the perfect temperature with just the right mix of sugar and creamer. You get lots of likes on the selfie you posted to Instagram.

But what about those moments when things aren’t going so well? You spill your coffee on your jeans. You have to wait in a long line of customers at the bank or grocery store. You realize the battery in your smartphone is dead.

In moments like these, giving thanks is difficult. But giving thanks is also essential if you want to navigate these experiences with a positive outlook. This doesn’t mean being phony or pasting on a smile no matter what.

Rather, it’s about taking a moment to shift your focus. Instead of grumbling about the long line of customers, thank God for the cashier and pray for her family. When your smartphone needs a charge, thank God for all of the impressive technology to which you have access. Put differently, shift your focus by choosing to turn the uncomfortable moments in life into thankfulness.

Let's pray:
God, when I’m tempted to complain and grumble, help to stop and shift my focus. I want to be someone who lives in continual gratitude. Let me never lose sight of the blessings You’ve poured out on me. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen.
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9 Comments
Virgil Linder
3/4/2021 03:05:22 pm

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. I look forward to your words of wisdom

Reply
Blythe Lewis link
3/4/2021 05:22:47 pm

Thank you for this message. Timing for a shift in focus could not be better for me personally. I will work on it!

Reply
Danny Murphy
3/6/2021 05:27:19 am

Blythe, since God’s mercies are new every day, I find that gratitude is always a work in progress in my life.

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Suzie Sherard
3/4/2021 05:51:15 pm

Thank you for that message. I wake up every morning thanking God for giving me another day to love Him and to love others. It gets the day going right.

Reply
Danny Murphy
3/6/2021 05:31:56 am

Susie, starting one’s day with gratitude is a wonderful discipline.

Reply
Betty Busch
3/5/2021 06:40:09 am

Thank you so much for the reminder. Always appropriate especially while I maneuver over and around the bumps in the road, both big and small. I always appreciate the reminder also that God's blessings by far outweigh even the biggest bumps in the road and He is right with me.

Reply
Danny Murphy
3/6/2021 05:46:01 am

Betty, I‘ve discovered that one of the blessings of being a believer is that I never have to face the bumps in the road life, big or small, alone. I’m so grateful to God for this.

Reply
Carol Kennedy
3/10/2021 05:01:13 pm

Thanks so much for this message and prayer. I feel blessed every day when I wakeup and see the sun rising. When I think about what others are going thru, I realize there is no reason for me to complain and I count my blessings.

Reply
Danny C Murphy
3/10/2021 05:38:34 pm

Carol, when I wake up in the morning, I recognize that I'm blessed. Anything that happens after I wake I'm thankful. Here's why: I've been to Sudan twice. Therefore, I know that my worst day ever is far better than their best day will ever be.

Reply



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    Rev. Dr. Danny Murphy, SR. 

    The ultimate aim of Trinity Presbytery is to equip and empower our member congregations to become communities of faith, hope, love, witness and service, so that those who do not know Jesus might come to know, love and serve him and so that those who do know Jesus might come to love him more intimately and serve him more faithfully.

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  • Home
  • ABOUT
    • Our Mission
    • Our Staff
    • Our Churches >
      • Churches- Telephone Directory
    • Contact
    • General Presbyter's Blog
    • Dr. Phyllis W. Sanders Blog
    • Lay School of Theology
    • Employment Opportunities
  • Mission & Ministry
    • Agencies to Accomplish Mission
    • Supported Institutions
  • RESOURCES
    • Vital Congregations
    • Resource Documents
  • Calendars