Give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. —1 Thessalonians 5:18
A Midwestern attorney who traveled to Houston to see his mother following Hurricane Katrina made time to go down to the hard-hit areas and see how he could help. Like everybody else who waded into the wreckage of Katrina’s aftermath, he expected to find people grasping and angry, frustrations boiling over. Instead, walking into the Astrodome where thousands were huddled to await their next move, he found a sense of calm and helpfulness and an orderly flow of charity and compassion. Even among those stripped of home and possessions, he discovered a startling measure of gratitude.
Several people told him stories of courageous sacrifice, of rescues that seemed almost im- possible, how all had seemed hopeless until someone carried them through the floodwaters. They didn’t know what was next, but they knew to be grateful. Just to be there.
That’s tough-going gratitude for you. In life’s hardest, most unsettling times, many of those who had lost absolutely everything had found a surprising level of solace in the God-given perspective of gratitude.
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Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy ©2009 Revived Hearts Foundation
Scripture taken from The CSB
Make it Personal
How can choosing to be thankful change your perspective on the hard things of life?