Braving ChangeSample

Choose Gratitude and Rest: Enter His Gates with Thanksgiving and Rest in Him

In times of struggle or change, it's easy to lose sight of praise and thanksgiving because it's also necessary to lament and forge a pathway through the difficulty we're in the middle of. Seasons of simply existing and surviving must come to an end, yet even within such challenging moments in time, we must remember to give thanks for what we do have. Choosing gratitude in transition shifts our perspective and causes us to see clearly again.

I decided to make a slight but integral change to my prayer life. Instead of coming to God with my prayer list like we were having a work meeting, I established a new rhythm of beginning with gratitude. Now I sit down with my cup of hot coffee in the early hours before sunrise, visualizing His Courts, and then open my mouth to simply say, "Good morning, God. Thank You for...”

This simple practice can be a helpful aid to view life through a different lens, deliberately shifting a negative thought pattern we may be dwelling on. It can help us to refocus and remember just how Good, Faithful, and Present God is, no matter the trial or triumph we may be facing.

“Be kind to yourself" are words that my husband and I often say to one another.

Have you ever said, "Why am I so tired today?" "Why am I still struggling with this?" "Why am I not over that yet?" "Why am I like this?" "Why am I so emotional?" "I need to do better... be better..."? Maybe it’d be good for you to be kind to yourself. You're not going to remain the same and you're still growing. Releasing the past to be able to build our future takes intention, but it also requires us to walk in God's Grace to be able to move forward and trust where He's leading us.

Questions and Prayer

• Question: The cultivation of gratitude takes intention. In what ways do you need to shift your prayer life from one of a transactional list to one beginning with thanksgiving and praise?
• Prayer: Father, thank You for creating a way for me to abide with You daily in trust and intimacy through the Life, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus and the subsequent Gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus, you have the ability to give me rest as I choose to intimately connect with You. Forgive me for the times that I have rejected Your Perfect Plan and instead chosen to toil, tethered to the ways of the world. I submit my life once again to You as the Good Shepherd and ask that You would lead, refresh, and guide me along the right paths for the Glory of Your Name. I trust You with my whole life and know that You accomplish more on my day of rest than I ever could in six days of work. Speak to me by Your Spirit and show me the rhythm of rest You have mapped out for me in the particular season I'm in right now. I give You my plans and ask that You replace them with Yours.