We’re so excited to start a new series of posts written by our lovely Living Proof Staff. To kick off our series, our beloved Kimberly shares a piece on gratitude below:
Thanksgiving is just a day away, and it is never without effect. It will bring us to heighten the “attitude of gratitude”! Creating a climate of gratitude will bring US to where God is…or it will bring God to where WE are. Gratitude promotes a place of contentment we can live in, and from! He dwells most fully where He is acknowledged and honored! His Presence is REAL!
You rarely recognize gratitude in someone who thinks and speaks negatively about life. Negativity predicts the worst. It is rarely of faith. It feeds and is often fed by the enemy of God. In all circumstances choose to see your circumstances from a place that will create gratitude.
Never underestimate the power of “thank you,” as it cultivates a beautiful heart! Gratitude has many benefits and is for anyone who practices it even in the middle of adversity in life. Gratitude reduces anxiety and depression, as it improves mood through feelings like joy and pleasure! Gratitude promotes peace, which removes stress and often reduces symptoms of illness. Gratitude makes us feel closer and more connected to our relationships. Grateful people are more helpful, generous, and compassionate.
When we train ourselves to look at life with a perspective of gratitude over the natural default of negativity we embrace contentment and greater peace. To be honest, there is always more to be grateful for if we are looking for it!
“I will bless the LORD at all times, His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” -Psalm 34:1
-Kimberly
Kimberly, I’m so excited to see you posting on gratitude. You know how Beth loves and endorses PRAYERS OF MY HEART Prayer Journal because she loves the Week At A Glance column format? Well, since it’s new release in July, I’ve started using the Month At A Glance as my GRATITUDE SECTION. It’s where I daily write 2-3 things to God for which I’m thankful. I most often do it before I go to bed, but sometimes in the morning. I LOVE IT! RESEARCH proves that people who keep a gratitude journal are more optimistic about life than those who don’t. I’m going to send you PRAYERS OF MY HEART and encourage you to use the first section as I suggested. PLUS – I now have months of keepsake memories, each beginning with “Thank You, Lord.” Yay, so glad you’re doing this. Love, Debbie Taylor Williams
Beautiful!!
Beautiful!! Gratitude is the reasonable response to knowing Him!!
Kimberly, I absolutely love your post on gratitude! It is a very necessary reminder of what we need to do every day!!! Especially when we are in the midst of trials and we Feel the least grateful!
Thank you for this beautiful reminder❤️
Hi Kimberly,
Thank you for this wonderful reminder regarding gratitude in our daily lives!
I will Never forget the part of Ms. Beth’s “Believing God” Bible study, in which she suggests that we specifically search for “GodSTOPs”! Meaning, “Savoring The Observable Presence Of God” in our daily lives. That part of the Bible study homework was one of my favorite parts!
And, ever since September, 2002, when I began that study online, I have been trying to continue that practice! It keeps my mind focused upon the “small things in life” that get overlooked so often. Even looking at the process of a tree’s life outside of Apartment window (and elsewhere) is still something that I marvel at; and praise God for “His Handiwork” that is involved in that ‘seemingly ordinary process’! And, yet, I have to choose to remember that if it were Not for Him, these “so called small things in life” would Not be possible!
And, with “an attitude of gratitude”; it changes my entire outlook upon my life!
And, my search for “GodSTOPs” during one of the most difficult times in my life time actually caused at least 1 lady to ask me “How can you be so calm & strong in this difficult situation?” She had been my landlady at the time; so we saw each other daily. And, praise the Lord Jesus, Sharon repented, & accepted Jesus into her life one evening, with my help, through the Holy Spirit, in late April, 2004! Praise the Lord!
And, although I was “called” to move away from NW Houston in 7/2004, to help out my aging parents, it was one of the most important things that I have ever done in my life time, as both of my parents have been with Jesus, in Heaven, for 5.5 & 10.5 years now. So, I was able to spend the last several years of their lives with them! Although I miss them deeply, I Know that each one of them chose to accept Jesus as their personal Lord & Savior, in their younger years.
And, our [my 3 surviving sisters and I] Mom even had such a positive, godly influence upon our youngest cousin [in which she was grateful for every day of her life], Jacob, as I just found out that he had repented & accepted Jesus into his life, as well, mainly because of how she lived her life; & had encouraged him to seek out our Lord Jesus… And, he is 15 years old, now, and he is working towards becoming an “Eagle Scout”, in the Boy Scouts! Praise God!
Love you, in Christ Jesus, Jennifer O.
Thanks for the reminder. We are in gratitude to Him and We remain to be in gratitude.
Ok so completely unrelated to the post but I’m wondering if there is an SSMT in 2019?
Hi Angela, we are not continuing SSMT in 2019. So sorry for any inconvenience. Blessings!
So bummed! I was coming to ask the same question.
Hi
Are you doing the siesta memory verses this year?
Good morning Rhona!
We will not be doing SSMT in 2019. We apologize for any inconvenience! Blessings sister!
Will SSMT 2019 happen?? Been waiting for another chance at it!!
Hi Mickey,
We will not be doing SSMT in 2019. Sorry for any inconvenience. Blessings to you in the new year!
When will the next gratitude post be? I thought there was going to be a series of them.
Hi Meredith,
There will be a series of blog posts by our staff, not on gratitude specifically. Sorry for that confusion! Our next staff post should be up late January/ early February. Blessings!
Ms. Moore I was impressed while on my morning walk to write to you. i am not certain if this is the correct format or not but here goes.
First I wish to thank you and pray blessings on you and your family for your principled stance regarding the President and his administration. Your statements were not received perhaps because principles are in such short supply, also moral fibre.
Second, I wish to encourage your family and prayer partners to be encouraged and to stand firm about you regardless of the noise and the threats.
Finally, every good cowgirl knows ell enough to drink water up stream from the herd. Please, please PLEASE continue to draw your supply from upstream., way upstream. My wife and I wish to encourage you and continue to pray for you. We are Canadian, live in Canada and visit my parents and family as often as we are able so we do have skin in the game as the saying goes.
Blessings and Peace to you,
Trevor and Pierrette Wilson
Kimberly, I’m so excited to see you posting on gratitude. You know how Beth loves and endorses PRAYERS OF MY HEART Prayer Journal because she loves the Week At A Glance column format? Well, since it’s new release in July, I’ve started using the Month At A Glance as my GRATITUDE SECTION. It’s where I daily write 2-3 things to God for which I’m thankful. I most often do it before I go to bed, but sometimes in the morning. I LOVE IT! RESEARCH proves that people who keep a gratitude journal are more optimistic about life than those who don’t. I’m going to send you PRAYERS OF MY HEART and encourage you to use the first section as I suggested. PLUS – I now have months of keepsake memories, each beginning with “Thank You, Lord.” Yay, so glad you’re doing this. Love, Debbie Taylor Williams
Beth, Please stay strong. People need you to reinforce that all humans are children of God. Remember how many people are suffering because of their sexual orientation. They have been thrown out of their homes and their churches. God loves them and does not want them to suffer more at the hands of Christians. Stay strong. Don’t abandon your principles. There are so many hurting individuals who want to know Jesus and are being verbally abused or rejected on the basis of sexual orientation.
Today July 31. 2019, I am starting the 30 Day Luke challenge