Let Everything that Hath Breath Praise the Lord!

Let Everything that Hath Breath Praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord: A Call to Joyful Worship

In our busy lives, it can be easy to forget the profound power and beauty of worship. Yet the Bible continually reminds us of the importance of lifting our hearts to God in prayer, song, thanksgiving, joy, and expectation. One of the most vibrant calls to worship is found in Psalm 150:6 (KJV), which declares:

"Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord."

This verse is a universal call to all creation. If you have breath, you are invited—no, commanded—to praise the Lord. It’s a simple yet powerful reminder that worship is not limited to a specific place, occasion, or even mood. It is the natural response of a heart that recognizes the greatness and goodness of God.

Praise Through Prayer

Prayer is a deeply personal way to connect with God, expressing our love, gratitude, and reliance on Him. When we come before Him in prayer with praise on our lips, we align our hearts with His will and acknowledge His sovereignty. Begin your prayers with adoration, speaking of God's attributes: His love, mercy, justice, and power. Let your words reflect the awe you feel for the Creator of all things.

Praise Through Song

Music is a gift from God, uniquely capable of stirring the soul and expressing the inexpressible. Psalm 150 itself is filled with encouragement to worship with music:

"Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs." (Psalm 150:3-4, KJV)

When we sing praises, whether in a congregation or alone, we join a timeless chorus of worship that stretches back to the psalms of King David. Whether it’s a traditional hymn, a modern worship song, or a simple melody of your own creation, singing praises lifts our spirits and glorifies God.

If you want a great song to sing and dance to while you joyfully praise the Lord, check out "Let Everything that Has Breath Praise the Lord" by Ron Kenoly (video embedded below from YouTube):

Praise Through Thanksgiving

Gratitude is at the heart of worship. By giving thanks, we acknowledge God's blessings in our lives and His faithfulness through every season. Even in difficult times, there is always something to be thankful for: the breath in our lungs, the gift of salvation, the hope of eternity. A heart full of thanksgiving is a heart prepared for joy.

Praise Through Joy and Expectation

Worship is not just about what God has done but also about what He will do. We praise Him not only for past blessings but for the promises yet to be fulfilled. Worshiping with expectation demonstrates trust in His plan and faith in His goodness. It’s a proclamation that we believe God is working all things for His glory and our good.

Practical Steps to Praise

1. Set Aside Time Daily: Dedicate a few moments each day to prayer and worship, starting with gratitude.
2. Sing with Passion: Don’t worry about how you sound—God hears your heart, not your pitch.
3. Keep a Gratitude Journal: Record the blessings in your life, big and small, to keep your focus on God’s goodness.
4. Join a Worship Community: Worship alongside others who share your faith to deepen your experience of praise.
5. Anticipate His Goodness: As you worship, meditate on God’s promises in Scripture, allowing your heart to overflow with hope.

A Call to Action

Today, take Psalm 150:6 to heart. With every breath you take, choose to praise God. Let your life become a symphony of worship, filled with prayer, song, thanksgiving, joy, and expectation. Praise Him for who He is, what He has done, and what He will do.

Praise ye the Lord!

Practicing Thanksgiving: A Reflection on Colossians 3:17

Practicing Thanksgiving: A Reflection on Colossians 3:17

As Thanksgiving approaches, our minds turn to gratitude. We pause to count our blessings, gather with loved ones, and express thanks for the good in our lives. But the spirit of Thanksgiving is more than a single day; it’s a way of life—a continual response to God’s goodness. Colossians 3:17 reminds us of this calling:

“And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” (Colossians 3:17 KJV)

This verse challenges us to weave gratitude into the fabric of our daily lives, aligning everything we say and do with Christ’s purpose. Let’s explore how we can live out this Thanksgiving spirit every day.

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1. Gratitude as a Lifestyle

The verse begins with “whatsoever ye do,” encompassing every word and action. Gratitude is not just an isolated act but a way of approaching life. Whether we’re working, serving, resting, or celebrating, every moment is an opportunity to give thanks to God.

This perspective shifts our focus. Instead of waiting for ideal circumstances to feel thankful, we start to see God’s hand in all things. Gratitude becomes a lens through which we view both blessings and challenges, trusting that God is working all things for good (Romans 8:28).

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2. Doing All in the Name of the Lord Jesus

Living in gratitude means dedicating every aspect of our lives to the Lord. Colossians 3:17 calls us to do all things in Jesus’ name. This means our words and deeds should reflect His character—kindness, humility, and love.

In practical terms, this might look like:

• Speaking words that uplift and encourage rather than tear down.
• Approaching tasks, even mundane ones, with a heart of service.
• Choosing integrity and compassion in our interactions with others.

When our lives point to Christ, thanksgiving naturally flows, because we recognize that all we have and all we are comes from Him.

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3. Giving Thanks Through Christ

The latter part of the verse emphasizes the source of our gratitude: “giving thanks to God and the Father by him [Jesus].” Through Christ, we have the ultimate reason to be thankful—salvation and reconciliation with God.

Even in seasons of difficulty, when blessings seem scarce, we can hold fast to this unchanging truth. Jesus’ sacrifice ensures that we are loved, forgiven, and secure in God’s hands. This eternal perspective fuels gratitude that transcends circumstances.

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4. Thanksgiving in Action

How can we put Colossians 3:17 into practice during this Thanksgiving season and beyond?

• Start Each Day with Thanks: Begin your mornings by naming three things you’re grateful for. This simple practice aligns your heart with God’s goodness.
• Serve Others: Gratitude grows when we bless others. Volunteer, lend a helping hand, or show kindness to someone in need.
• Speak Life: Use your words to express appreciation. Whether it’s a heartfelt “thank you” to a family member or a prayer of praise to God, let gratitude shape your conversations.
• Pause and Reflect: Take time to meditate on Christ’s love and sacrifice. Consider journaling your thoughts on how He has been faithful in your life.

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5. Thanksgiving as Worship

Ultimately, gratitude is an act of worship. When we live with thankful hearts, we glorify God. Our daily actions and words become offerings of praise, echoing the message of Colossians 3:17.

This Thanksgiving, let’s celebrate not just with turkey and traditions but with hearts fully devoted to God. Let’s commit to living every day in gratitude, doing all in the name of Jesus, and giving thanks to the Father through Him.

As you gather around the table this Thanksgiving, take a moment to reflect on how you can carry the spirit of the holiday into every day. And remember: whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all for Him—with thanksgiving.

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A Prayer for Gratitude:
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for Your countless blessings. Help us to live each day with grateful hearts, dedicating all we do to You. Teach us to see Your hand in every circumstance and to give thanks in all things. Through Jesus Christ, we offer our praise and gratitude. Amen.

Happy Thanksgiving!

How To Get Your Prayers Answered!

Want to know how to get your prayers answered? Obviously there is no formula that magically binds God to give you what you want -- and thank God for that, since he knows so much better than we do what is best for us -- but you can do a few things to make sure you are in a position to receive the answers and blessings that God wants to give you!

What Can Keep Us from Receiving Answers from God?

Psalm 103:7 says, God "made known his ways unto Moses and his acts unto the children of Israel." For most of the Israelites, they knew God only from what they saw him do. But with Moses, God actually revealed his plans and purposes before he acted; God showed Moses his heart.

That's like the difference between reading about the public actions of a President or Prime Minister in the news, on the one hand, and knowing the President or Prime Minister personally and being privy to his decision-making process.

If you want to know God's wisdom so that you can apply it to your life, the best way to do this is by getting to know God better. And how do you get to know God better? The best way is by reading his word.

Just like any good habit, reading the Bible may feel like work at first. Let's be honest, if you start with Leviticus or Deuteronomy, chances are you will quit reading before it becomes fun, since those are not the easiest parts of the Bible to read.  So I would recommend starting with the Gospels and the Psalms. There are a lot of reading plans and study groups out there that you can use. But the most important thing is to do like Nike: just do it!

Set aside some time each morning to read the Bible and pray. How much time? Start with something you feel you can easily do. If you only have five minutes, then set aside five minutes. If you can spend more time than that, then do so. But it's better to do a little consistently than to do much inconsistently; incidentally, that is true for trying to develop any new habit! Each day, give God the firstfruits of your time: spend your first few minutes after waking reading the Bible and then praying over what you read.

If you don't know where else to start, here's an easy reading program that worked for me when I first started to read the Bible regularly as an adult: read one chapter from the Gospel of Matthew and one Psalm each day. Once you finish Matthew, go on to Mark.

As the saying goes, "If you want to hear God speak audibly, read the Bible aloud."

As is true with any friendship, the more time you spend hearing or reading God's word, the more you will come to know his heart. And the more you come to know God's heart, the better you will be able to distinguish between what is in accordance with God's will and what is not.

Start Each Prayer with the Premise that God Loves You!

Whenever you pray, and whatever you pray for, pray with the belief that God loves you, because he does! 

As Paul says in Romans 5: 1-11, "God commendeth his love toward us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us . . . For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." 

And in Romans 8: 31-32, Paul says, "If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for all of us, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" 

In other words, if Jesus willingly suffered and died for us when we were at our worst, then you best believe God won't withhold anything from us that we need to live a good and fulfilling life!

No matter what you are praying about or praying for, start each prayer with the premise that God loves you!

Have an Attitude of Gratitude towards God!

In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Paul tells us that we should give thanks in every situation, because that is God's will for us.

No matter what you are going through, maintain an attitude of gratitude. Obviously, this can be easier said than done; but no matter how difficult it seems to stay positive and thankful, you really have no choice but to try, because the alternative is so harmful. 

If you hold a grudge, you poison your own mood and outlook on life. This is true whether you are holding a grudge against another person or against Life itself or God. Counting your problems is a surefire recipe for despair!

No matter what your situation is, you can always, ALWAYS, find something for which to be thankful. Tell God thanks for those things that are good in your life. Have food to eat? Clean water to drink? Clothes to wear? A roof over your head? Those things sound so basic, but start there. Look around you right now and try to find ten things that you would miss if you were to lose them. Here's one: are you able to breath easily and freely? Think about how grateful you would be to be able to breathe like that if you had emphysema!

In psychology, the action of focusing on what is good, rather than what is bad, is called "reframing." Even if you don't believe in God, reframing your perspective on your situation by counting your blessings and expressing gratitude for them is a powerful antidote for depression. 

Forgive Yourself and Others

Jesus makes this explicit in his teachings on prayer: if you want God to answer your prayers, be sure to forgive! This is not an option! 

As the Lord's Prayer goes, "Forgive us our debts [or trespasses], as we forgive our debtors [or those who trespass against us]." (Matthew 6:12.)

In Mark 11: 24-26, Jesus makes this teaching more explicit. After telling his disciples to have faith and trust God to give them what they ask for, Jesus says, "And when you stand praying, forgive, if ye have aught against any; that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if ye do not fogive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses. 

Even if you have a good reason for holding a grudge, you exercise this dubious "right" at your own peril: you need forgiveness and mercy as much as anyone! And if you don't forgive others, you will have a hard time forgiving yourself, because deep down, you will know that you're not living up to your arbitrary standards of morality either. But if you are willing to forgive yourself and others, you can be sure that God has forgiven you as well. 

From mindfulness meditation, there's a technique which may also be helpful here. If you feel angry, turn your attention upon the raw sensations of this emotion, as you feel it in your body. Be willing to feel the physical tension or other pattern of energy that arises when you feel angry. Paradoxically, when you allow yourself to feel the raw physical pangs of anger, without identifying with it or trying to suppress it, the feeling is robbed of much of its power. It's almost like anger is a beach ball that you have tried to hold under the water, but which keeps rising to the surface: instead of trying to hold your anger down and force it out of your awareness, which is an impossible task, just let go of it.

Don't worry; it's not a sin to feel angry: in Ephesians 4:26, Paul quotes the Psalmist by saying, "Be angry, and sin not." What is wrong, harmful, and contrary to God's will for your life is for you to hold onto your anger, nurse a grudge, and try to get even.

As 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Recap: How to Get Your Prayers Answered...

When you pray, pray from the wholehearted belief that God really does love you; be sure to have an attitude of gratitude and thank God for your blessings, especially if you don't feel like it; and forgive yourself and others, so that you are no longer holding any grudges against anyone. Moreover, start each day with prayer and Bible-reading, with no agenda other than to know God better and to know his will for your life. If you do these things, you will find that your prayer-life improves significantly, and you will see more of your prayers answered. Just be sure to give God thanks and praise when that happens!

You Don't Have To Be Perfect To Be Amazing!

You don't have to be perfect to be amazing! According to the Apostle Paul, we are God's masterpieces, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which he prepared in advance that we might walk in them! Ephesians 2:10. God does not make mistakes! And if you are his workmanship, you must be pretty awesome!

"You Don't Have to be Perfect to be Amazing!"

Forgive Yourself!

If you have done anything wrong, then ask God for forgiveness, and then receive that forgiveness. Forgive yourself!

Don't try to have a higher standard for yourself than God does. He has made forgiveness easy, so don't you try to make it difficult. Forgive yourself!

If you have harmed someone else, then apologize for what you have done. Don't focus on what the other person did. Just acknowledge what you did or failed to do. If there is something that can be reasonably done to right the wrong, then do it. The key word is "reasonable," which can be tough to determine when you are one of the parties involved in a conflict. Ask a neutral third party whose judgement you trust what you think you should do. Pray about it. And once you have a genuine conviction about what you should do to make amends, then do it.

And once you have apologized and taken reasonable steps to make amends, then move on with your life! Forgive yourself! Just like you would forgive someone you love dearly, like your child or your best friend.

Jesus said that you should love your neighbor as yourself. Interestingly, for many people, the stumbling block here is loving themselves! And if you don't love yourself -- if you instead have hatred and contempt for yourself and criticize yourself constantly -- what kind of love can you possibly offer anyone else? If you have mostly negative feelings towards yourself, then you will more likely hate your neighbor like you hate yourself, rather than loving them!

Change Your Perspective about the Past!

If you are looking back over your past and you feel like you've had more failures than successes, more regrets than good memories, and more sorrow than joy, you've got to change your relationship with your past. The past is over and done with. You can't go back and change it now. But you can change how you think about it.

Here's something you can try: look at your life as it is right now and find some things to be grateful for. You may not feel like it, but it's the only way to change your negative habits of mind. Maybe you have trained yourself to look for the bad in each situation, so that you expect things to be bad and to only get worse. That habit of mind won't change on its own. You have to conscientiously make a point, each day, of looking for things you can be grateful for. 

Start a gratitude journal! Every morning, as soon as you wake up (or maybe after you've poured yourself a cup of coffee to drink while you do this), write down three things you are grateful for. And don't just do this mechanically. As you write each one down, stop and think about it for a minute. Savor it, if you can. Imagine what it would feel like to lose it, and then imagine how overjoyed you would feel if, after losing it, you found it again! By doing this, you can increase your appreciation for what you already have, and stop beating yourself over what you don't have; and you can become happy to be who you are, where you are, with the life you're actually living, rather than some idealized vision of how things could have turned out if you had taken a different path -- a vision which is almost certainly unrealistic and leaves out a lot of the difficulties you would have faced if you actually had taken that different path. Instead of ruminating over what you think went wrong, express gratitude for what has gone well! 

Have an attitude of gratitude! Give thanks to God for what you actually have -- especially your relationships with God and with others -- and thank God for the life you are actually living!

Here's another thing you can do: make peace with your past. It is what it is, but it's not who you are; and it's definitely not who you're destined to become. As 1 John 1:9 says, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness." Take God at his word and receive his forgiveness. 

If you feel discouraged, pause for a minute, turn your attention towards that feeling, and examine it in a dispassionate, open-hearted, and curious way: examine it like you would examine a piece of cloth or something equally impersonal. Pay attention to the physical sensations associated with the feeling. Where do you  feel it? Become aware of it, not as a judgment about you or your life, but merely as a pattern of energy in your body. In doing this, you may discover something ironic: as you become willing to feel this sensation and pay attention to it more closely, rather than trying to fight or suppress it, you will find (with enough practice) that the emotion loses energy and dissipates on its own.

Remember this: a feeling is not a fact, even if it purports to be. Maybe a feeling of sadness feels like a compelling judgment that your life is bad, but it is not. Practice the technique of "reframing" -- which is where you change your perspective on something by shifting your frame of reference; sometimes this is also called "paradigm shifting." Here's an example: let's say the traffic is unexpectedly bad and you are running late for an important meeting. One perspective would be to focus only on the inconvenience of being late, the feeling of pressure to arrive on time, or the anticipation of being embarrassed to arrive after the meeting has already started. If you make that your focus, your mood will be negative. Instead, try thinking about how you would have felt if, instead of simply running late because of bad traffic, you had experienced a breakdown and you had to wait on the side of the road for a tow truck -- that would surely be so much worse than just being a little late because of traffic: focus on what a blessing it is to have a car that is working the way it should! You may be late, but at least you're moving towards your destination! And then think, how bad is this really going to be? Probably not nearly as bad as you imagine! And will it really matter in 20 years that you arrived late today for this meeting? Probably not! By shifting your perspective, you will  soon find that your negative feelings about the situation subside, even if just for a moment; but the fact that your feelings can change like that, when your circumstances have stayed the same and only your perspective has changed, shows that your feelings are not so absolutely and objectively true as they "feel."

Progress, NOT Perfection!

The reality is, as long as we are living in this world, we will always be "on the road" to somewhere else. We never arrive once and for all. And so that means we are continually making progress, which means we aren't perfect! Perfection is not the goal in this life: progress is. As the recovery-program slogan goes, "Progress, NOT perfection."

You Don't Have to be Perfect to be AMAZING!!!

You don't have to be perfect to be amazing. God already loves you and has a plan for your life. God has already forgiven you and set you free. Be free! Allow yourself to be as amazing as God wants to empower and enable you to be!

Have an Attitude of Gratitude!

When we're in pain, it can be hard to see the good in life. But a consensus of experts, from religious leaders to psychologists, tell us that we will be happier if we cultivate an attitude of gratitude.

Have an Attitude of Gratitude, No Matter What the Circumstances Are!

What Makes Us Discouraged?

Nothing makes us discouraged. True, sometimes things happen that we don't like. But those things don't have the power to make us feel down and out. Most things in life are outside of our control, but our attitude is not. No matter what has gone wrong in life, we can always choose to have an attitude of gratitude!

I know it's not easy to stay grateful, in spite of unpleasant circumstances. Believe me, I know. It's not easy. It's hard. But it is possible.

Don't believe me? That's fine. Because if it was just me saying it, I wouldn't believe it either. It would seem too counterintuitive to be true. Bad things happen, yet you're supposed to stay grateful about your life? How is that supposed to work?

But according to God, it does work. And it is possible. And it's what God wants us to do, no matter what the circumstances look like!

The Apostle Paul's Teachings on Gratitude

In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Paul says, "In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

The Apostle Paul earned the right to say that, too. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-27, he talks about some of the difficulties he faced: he was whipped five times, he was beaten with wooden rods three times, he was stoned almost to death, and he was shipwrecked three times and adrift in the middle of the stormy sea. He was jailed multiple times because of his religious convictions, and not in an American jail where he was constitutionally protected from cruel and unusual punishment; no, he was thrown into Roman dungeons where no punishment would have been considered too cruel. He was ultimately killed by the Romans, very likely after being tortured. And through it all, Paul did not waiver in his commitment to God. There is no way Paul could have done all that if he had not followed his own advice and given thanks to God in every circumstance.

Philippians 4:4-9 contains a powerful distillation of Paul's teaching about having an attitude of gratitude.

• Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice. 
• Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. 
• Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in everything, by prayer and supplication and with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God;
• And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
• Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
• Those things, which you have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do; and the God of peace shall be with you.

No matter what is going wrong, God is still good, so start by rejoicing in God. Don't give in to anxiety or despair.  Instead, pray: tell God how you feel and ask him for what you need, and make sure you do it "with thanksgiving!" Thank God because you know he will make a way. (1 Corinthians 10:13.) And then focus on positive things.

It won't be easy. But God will give you all the grace you need to do it.

Having an Attitude of Gratitude

Here's the reality of our situation: in the world, we will have problems, but Jesus has given us his word, so that we can have peace in him. (John 16:33.)

It is not a choice whether we will have difficult circumstances. We will. That's guaranteed. Jesus said it. And if that wasn't enough, every philosopher or religious leader I've ever heard of has agreed with him. For example, the first noble truth of Buddhism is that suffering is everywhere. Even those who don't believe in God believe that the world is full of problems.

But although we don't have a choice about whether we will have problems in life, we do have a choice about whether we will have peace. We will have problems, but we can have peace. The problems come no matter what. The peace comes only if we choose to trust God and follow the Bible's teachings about having an attitude of gratitude in all circumstances.

Fortunately, that choice cannot be taken away from us. In addition to these promises of God, we have the testimony of Jews and Christians who have faced the most horrific circumstances imaginable, yet who have chosen to respond with godly virtue. For example, both Viktor Frankl and Corrie Ten Boom wrote about their experiences in Nazi death camps, and both shared stories of people who did noble and heroic deeds, even in the face of cruelty and death. (I highly recommend Dr. Frankl's book, Man's Search for Meaning, and Corrie Ten Boom's book, The Hiding Place.)

As Zig Ziglar once said, "Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude." If you choose to have a bad attitude, you will really only hurt yourself, and that's in addition to whatever other problems you already have! Why make things worse for yourself? Why not take advantage of biblical principles and promises, so that you can have a better, more victorious life right now?

But Life Is Not Fair! I Have a Reason to Be Unhappy!

Even though it's the truth that we can only have God's peace if we choose to have an attitude of gratitude, some people will object that this ignores all the reasons people have for being unhappy. Life is unfair. People did me wrong. If you knew what I'd been through, you wouldn't say that.

Well, I don't know what you've been through -- just like you don't know what I've been through -- but I still know that you are better off finding something to be grateful about.

You're right about life being unfair. It can be very unfair. While we should do what we can to work for justice and oppose injustice, we will never remove all the unfairness from life, no matter how hard we try.

Something I learned from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is that it can be beneficial to evaluate beliefs on the basis of whether they are helpful or unhelpful, rather than whether they are true or false. "Life's not fair" is a true belief. But, how helpful is it to dwell on that belief, to ruminate over life's injustices and to remind ourselves over and over again about how we've been wronged?

Once, I was in therapy for an injury I'd suffered because of someone else's carelessness. I hadn't done anything wrong, but I had been hurt. And now I had to work through painful exercises in order to heal properly.

In that circumstance, I could think about how I had been wronged or about how it was unfair for me to be enduring painful therapy while the person who had caused my injury was (to my knowledge) healthy and able-bodied. That thought would have been true. But how helpful would it have been? Not very.

Sometimes I did allow myself to brood over the injustice of my situation, and whenever I did, I always felt worse. In addition to the pain from my injury, I also experienced the emotional pain of feeling that I had been really wronged. Because I had. But dwelling on that fact did not change anything about my situation. It did not help me to heal. It did not help me to be happy. The fact that I had been unjustly harmed was not a helpful one for me to think about.

Thankfully, God gave me the grace to give thanks in those circumstances. And when I did, I always felt better.

The hard part was this: in order to feel continually better, I had to keep making that difficult choice over and over again. Once was never enough. At some point, maybe when I was having to push through the pain, or maybe when I was having trouble falling asleep and my mind was drifting back to the events that had caused my injury, I would start to feel down again. And once I started feeling down, the thanks and praise that I gave God earlier in the day didn't do me much good: I had to start all over again and conscientiously choose to give thanks and praise in the present moment.

No matter what difficulties you're going through, and no matter what I problems I face in the future, whenever we are challenged, we each have to make the same difficult choice: we must choose to be thankful. We must choose to have an attitude of gratitude. But if we do, God has promised that we can enjoy his peace that "passeth all understanding." (Philippians 4:7.)

A Practical Tip for Cultivating an Attitude of Gratitude

Here is a practical tip for cultivating an attitude of gratitude: write down something that you are grateful for. Do it first thing in the morning, when you wake up. Better yet, think of someone you are grateful for, and write that person a short text message or email letting them know that you are thinking of them and that you are grateful to have them in your life. And then, before you go to bed, write down something that happened that day that you are grateful for. If you can, get someone to be your accountability partner in this and agree to send each other a text message or email each evening to briefly recap something good that happened that day. By doing this, you will actually train your mind to look for the good, rather than what is bad. And as your perspective becomes more positive, so will your mood.