Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Philippians 4:6 (NRSV) emphasis mine

Writing words of thankfulness have become a habit for me in the past few years. Regularly sitting down to mine my heart for places of gratitude has become important and life giving. It keeps me grounded and reminds me that without others life is not full and without others I could not be or do who I am or what I do.

Let me encourage you to try it…don’t worry about form or length or if you are doing it right or not…just begin and see where the practice of gratitude takes you.

This is from today’s journal:

• I am thankful the people I get to be around from the congregation to the staff.
• I love the fact that Susan and I have been able to raise our kids in an encouraging church environment and that they were able to do a majority of their schooling in one city.
• I am grateful for the daily challenges of life for they keep me dependent upon God. Without them I drift towards selfishness and laziness. God uses the challenges to keep me grounded and productive…how I wish there was another way!