Tell Him You're Going There . . .

Gratitude changes things. But first, you need to tell God you’re going there.

Tell Him you’re going to begin letting your salvation be more than a once-upon-a-time event, but rather a daily cause for celebration and wonder.

Tell Him you’re going to make each day a fresh opportunity to watch for His blessings in things both great and small—from the ultimate, awesome gift of His saving grace, to the privilege of having a healthy family, to the pleasure of not having one of those little painful sores you can sometimes get in your mouth. (Has it occurred to you to be grateful for that recently?)

Tell Him you’re going to offer up to Him every situation and circumstance in your life, even the ones that are still sensitive to the touch, the ones that make absolutely no sense, the ones you just really don’t understand why you’re having to put up with right now.

No matter how bad it gets, no matter what someone says to you, no matter how long it goes on or where it might lead, you will drop the full weight of it at His feet every night, be thankful for His strength that brought you through the day, and wait for His mercies that will be new in the morning (even though you may start needing them again at 12:01)!

Excerpted from Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy. Moody Publishers