COUNTING IS THE WAY TO JOY

DO I SOUND LIKE A GRATITUDE JUNKIE? I probably am one. So much of the misery I see and experience is rooted in a lack of gratitude.

OF COURSE, THE WORLD IS IN A MESS. It’s been that way since shortly after man and woman showed up. But, the world isn’t entirely awful. Good leaks out and shows itself every time I look for it. Of course, it’s up to me to practice looking.

I’M NOT BLIND. I take note of what’s wrong, but I don’t concentrate on it. I believe that I bring into my life what I give the most attention to.

LET ME EXPLAIN what I mean with an example. Suppose I need a new raincoat. I find myself noticing what kind of raincoats others are wearing. I go into stores that sell them. Raincoats are everywhere! I try several on. Before long, I find one I like that fits me and my budget. I bring that raincoat home.

GRATITUDE IS LIKE THAT. If I look for good—for things to be grateful for—before long I find them. Maybe they were there all along. Maybe like a woman who doesn’t need a new raincoat, I never noticed what I passed by every time I entered the mall.

SO, WHAT’S THE POINT? Why do I choose to look for things to be grateful for? Why don’t I concentrate on what is wrong?

BECAUSE I WANT JOY IN MY LIFE. I want to be the kind of person for whom a kind word becomes the most spontaneous thing to say. For whom a smile seems the most natural way to greet a stranger. I want to finish my day knowing that I’ve been blessed many more times than I can count.

MOST OF ALL, I want to know the Source of all these blessings, and I am confident I will know Him by His generosity. All I have to do is cooperate by counting.

SO, IF YOU, LIKE ME, are looking for a joy beyond mere happiness, join me in learning to count.

You are blessed. Be a blessing!

GIVE ME THAT GRATITUDE ATTITUDE

MOST OF MY UNHAPPINESS is really dissatisfaction with the world. I don’t have what I want when I want it, and to paraphrase the words of George Bernard Shaw in MAN AND SUPERMAN, because of that I sometimes choose to be a “feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making me happy.”

FREQUENTLY DISAPPOINTMENT DRAGS me back to this type of thinking. Shaw, who was an in-your-face doubter, recommended being a force of Nature to overcome this, but I believe he was wrong. I need to succumb to the force of the Supernatural—the Holy Spirit—instead. I need to put my face into the wind of faith if I want to change.

AND HOW IS THAT DONE? By putting my feet on the path of thankfulness. Good old gratitude. I need to open my eyes. I need to be glad of where I am right now and for what I’m doing right now . . . not because I’m afraid that things will worsen. No. I need to be glad just because they are what they are. Right now.

GRATITUDE IS ABOUT NOW. It’s not about what was—that will lead to thoughts of what could have been or should have been. It’s not about the future. That leads to unrealistic expectations. No. It’s about THIS day, THIS hour, THIS moment. It’s about living even more fully than I ever expected I could.

I MAY NEED A CHANGE in my approach. I may need to rethink my attitude. I may need to change my spots—and that can only be done with the help of God . . . on the path that is paved with counted blessings.

OH, LORD, I’VE GOT IT SO GOOD. Right now! Thank you and amen.

You’re blessed. Be a blessing!