All month long I've been sharing with you how we can become thankful and praise God even in the storm. There is a saying I've seen all month long that gives us some insight as to why: It's not happy people who are thankful It's thankful people who are happy I think I'd change one word of this though. I'd change the word happy to joyful because happiness is dependent upon our circumstances while joy is dependent upon more stable things like the Lord. So here is my version in JoJoism# 370: If we are able to become thankful for the blessings we have even if we are suffering through painful struggles, we will become joyful. That is the...
So far this Thanksgiving month, we've talked about why it's often difficult to Praise God in the Storm, what God Says about Being Thankful, What Being Thankful Doesn’t Mean, some things that will help us to remember in trying to be thankful. I've given you some practical advice with tips on exactly HOW to praise God in the storm. On Monday, I shared what happens to our communication when we are thankful and today I have a few more consequences of being thankful. 1. Others find us more approachable The old saying, "laugh and the world laughs with you; cry and you cry alone" is quite true. Unless you're so delirious with joy that you seem a Stepford Wife, the...
All this Thanksgiving month, I've been sharing about how to Praise God in the Storm. I've talked about what God Says about Being Thankful, and What Being Thankful Doesn’t Mean. I've talked about how sometimes things that friends and family communicate to us can make our struggles more difficult and about things we can communicate to ourselves that can help us during struggles like some things that will help us to remember. I'd never seen any practical advice with tips on exactly HOW to praise God in the storm and be thankful so I posted two articles on things we can do that will help us to be thankful and praise Him even during our most difficult struggles. Finishing up...
On Monday I shared some things we can do that will help us become thankful so that we can praise God in the midst of the storms of our lives. Here are some more things that have helped me over the years and I pray they help you as well. 1. Remember that joy and happiness are two different things Keep things in proper perspective. Happiness, as defined by Merriam Webster as good fortune or prosperity, a state of well-being and contentment, joy or a pleasurable or satisfying experience. Joy is listed as the emotion evoked by well-being, success, or good fortune or by the prospect of possessing what one desires, delight, the expression or exhibition of such emotion, gaiety,...
So far I've introduced you to the idea that we need to learn how to Praise God in the Storm, what God Says about Being Thankful, and What Being Thankful Doesn't Mean. Sometimes things that friends and family communicate to us can make our struggles more difficult, but there are things we can communicate to ourselves that can help us during struggles. Today I'd like us to consider some things that will help us remember that God is not out to get us when struggles come. God isn't punishing us and that there is a reason and maybe even a blessing around the corner. Here's what we need to remember during hard times: 1. Even if we cannot feel Him,...
