My desire is to succeed God's way. One of the most important ingredients is Gratefulness.
My parents used to love this Chinese vegetable called bitter melon. We hated it. But when they passed away, my siblings and I started to love it. Not only it's so good for your health, it also reminds us of our parents. I am hoping that maybe there is a chance that when I am no longer here, some of the wisdom I wanted to share with my children will become more valuable to them. In this information age, there is so much information about everything that it has become confusing. What my intention is for this blog is also to share some of the wisdom that to me are the most important ingredient to succeed in life. Not only succeed in the worldly sense, but good success God's way because He adds no sorrow to it. When I learn something new, I immediately examine it in light of the scripture, and if not aligned with God's truth, then you can dismiss it. God has given us His instruction manual in the Bible. Even if non-Christian do what the Bible commands, they will prosper and succeed as well. It's that simple.
Grateful people are happy people. God designed it that way, when we feel grateful and loving, we achieve optimal health. One of the videos that I love was the rice experiment by Dr. Emoto in Japan. Amazing how water molecular structure changes when we are grateful.
Rice Experiment - Dr Masaru Emoto - Bing video
The problem is that we all know but often forget to be grateful. So, it's important to take time to form a habit by practicing gratitude. When what we do becomes a habit, then we reap the benefits without having to think much about it, like brushing our teeth before bed. One of the most rewarding habits that I formed was going to bed and waking up with gratitude. This didn't come easily in the beginning because I believed that there is nothing good in my life, everything could be better. But thanks to the modern technology, I used gratefulness videos and play those before bedtime and while I get ready for the day or do my chores. You can search male or female voice just search "gratitude affirmations". I prefer female voice; here is an example:
These tools help me to realize that I do have much to be grateful for if I choose to look for those in my life. Then I take 10 min a day to write down a gratitude list. This list isn't what you think it is. It starts with "Today I am grateful for....." But it really includes 3 categories not only the good things in my life, but also negative emotions and things not yet happened. why?
1 Thessalonians 5:18 says "In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
God didn't say we are to give thanks FOR everything, but He said "IN" everything give thanks. That means being honest with how we feel and give thanks in all the stuff we are going through, even the negative circumstances. It feels weird at first to say, "I am grateful that I feel anxious about XXX today." But I do it because the fact that I have feeling is also a gift and feelings aren't right or wrong, they are just my feelings. I may feel angry or resentful today, but that feeling will not last forever. God is working even in helping me go through those feelings. This exercise of gratitude practice you can also do it with a trusted partner. I currently do have a friend that I email my list to each morning. We do it within 30 min of waking up in the morning and there is no commenting or fixing. Just keeping each other accountable to do the gratitude list. We committed to 40 days for now, but we will decide if we want to continue after that. I believe that it may be better if you have an accountability partner to do this with because it will ensure that you continue the practice. CR is all about accountability because without it, change is nearly impossible.
As to giving thanks for what will happen, it is also scriptural. King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20 had a choir marking in front of the army singing "Give thanks to the Lord. His faithful love continues forever." BEFORE the battle began. He gave thanks in faith for something that hasn't yet happened. It was an example God puts in His word for us to follow. Therefore, let's do it! Let's thank God for the blessings that He will give when we obey Him and walk in His ways. As you read in the 1 Th 5:8 verse, this is God's will for us to give thanks, and He will help us do His will. He loves to partner with us in our efforts. How does He partner with us? There are so many examples of miracles in the Bible that illustrate this. The man with a withered hand was one of my favorite examples. The guy had the withered hand all his life and Jesus told him to stretch out his hand. He now has a choice. He can think "I can't do it; I haven't been able to do it and never will. it's useless." Or he can say "I am going to try my best and do what I can." Smart guy chose the latter, and as he used his will and what strength he had to stretch it out, God multiplied his efforts and did for him what only God could do. Therefore, he experienced miraculous healing and gets to be in the Bible as an example for all to see. The other example was the 5 loaves and 2 fish miracle of feeding 5000. Jesus could have very easily rained down a pile of bread and fish for the 5000, but He didn't. He rarely does miracle that way. He uses what little we have and partner with us as we use what we have, when we do our part, He will do His part. Our part is to start gratitude practice and give 10 min a day to thank Him. (maybe find an accountability partner) His part is to bless us in ways in such amazing ways that only He can. What a great deal! We serve such a generous God!
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