Is the whale half full, or empty?

"And the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured..."

Exodus 16:2

          While this text is referring to the Israelites, it also applies to all God's children at times. We tend to get so caught up in what we don't have, rather than what we do have. Quoting Dori from Finding Nemo, "Look on the bright side-the whale half empty!" (Of course, in her case, this was the bright side :)

           We are to be grateful to God for all He has done for us, down to the simple moments of life. We should have a single mind of optimism, to have stableness in all our ways.

"A double-minded man is unstable in all his ways."

James 1:8

That also means the opposite: a single-minded man is stable in all his ways.

           Anyway, I've been learning an important lesson about gratitude... through a really neat tool, called a gratitude journal... My mom took the dare in One Thousand Gifts, and this school year she has been encouraging Mark and I to do the same. The dare is to write down 1000 things you are grateful for. It's transforming my attitude as each moment of my life is a wonderful new item to add to my growing list. Every item, however, does not make me prideful, but each item points to my Provider. You see, the dare is not about how much you think up, but how much you learn to thank God for; the moments that seemed useless before transform into those special moments that compose our earthly life. Remember, though, you must take the dare with the correct willing heart to be grateful.

           Another great tool is a blessings journal. Write down any answer God gives to your prayers, even if it wasn't the answer you wanted. Years from now, you will look back and be encouraged by the blessings of God in the past, and you will be able to see how He worked things out.

           I highly suggest that you use these tools in your daily life. Allow God to work through them and transform your heart! :)


~And don't forget, be RADIANTLY OPTIMISTIC AND GRATEFUL!!!