Gratefulness is a game changer. And I’ve experienced its profound influence especially over the past few weeks. See, when you have a passion to breathe hope into people and consider it a calling to tell others that their lives are not small…you’re pretty much guaranteed that massive waves of discouragement will try and throw you off course. Sometimes waves come at you in expected ways and when you’re bracing yourself it’s easier to gain your footing and stand strong through it. But when waves come out of no where, sneak attacks if you will, you better have a game plan, lest they take you under. We’ve had some real doozies come at us lately…as well as a few little irritants.
It’s honestly funny, and I’m sure I’ll laugh about it…in like 3 or 4 weeks, all of the things that have tried to steal my joy and “thankfulness” recently. Even as I sat to write this post last night my computer decided to institute a game of “Opposite Day.” I hit save, she thought that meant delete. I took my ball and went home. Silly computer.
Even as I took the above picture, I stepped in doggy doodie. Poor studded flat. That’s just a taste of the behind the scenes glamour kids. 😉 Got to have a sense of humor right?
A few weeks back I told you about a book that I read called “Crash the Chatterbox.” In the book Steven Furtick says, “The attacks of discouragement will never stop coming, BUT if they’re met with praise at the gate, they won’t find entrance into your heart.”
Maybe today you’re feeling like you’re “King of the Mountain.” You’re in a fantastic mood, everything is going well, you’re teeth are extra white, in short, it’s easy to be thankful. Relish in it and smile. But maybe today you’re feeling more like the hairy little troll that resides under the mountain. You’re feeling unloved and unlovable, discouraged and frustrated and you’re pretty sure your socks don’t match. You know what the antidote to climbing out from under the mountain is?…Gratefulness.
Gratefulness lifts our perspective from our perceived reality to the true reality, in short, it’s our way of escaping feelings of discontentment because it puts life in perspective. Think of the conscience practice of gratefulness like the stick shifter moving into a new gear on your car. All of a sudden you have the momentum to take the hill that you didn’t think you could before.
Now I’ll warn you, choosing gratefulness isn’t natural, especially at first. It can feel silly to say “Thank you God…” when discouragement hits because it’s like training new muscles you’ve never used before. When the discouraging lies come it’s much easier to wallow than to fight. However, that’s a pretty miserable existence and a guaranteed way to keep your life small wouldn’t you agree?
Trust me when I say that I know life can be difficult, throw us curve balls, and offer us challenges we don’t think we have the strength to tackle. But that’s the beautiful thing about the “Gratefulness Factor.” It reminds us of the blessings and the track record of a loving God. And it reminds us at the exact moment when our eyes could be easily drawn to the negative. Gratefulness infuses us with joy; and if we don’t have joy, we don’t have strength. Philippians 4:4 in the AMP says to “gladden ourselves in the Lord.” And that my friends is exactly what we’re going to do today.
We’re in this together and I can’t wait to show you what i have to help us out in our endeavor. My super-awesome-techie-sister helped me create our FIRST EVER PRINTABLE!!!
Are you happy dancing yet? Just a little something to turn our verbal gratitude into visible gratitude 😉 I’m a visual person. The type that has WAY too many windows open on her computer at once. I need to see things in front of me. So, high-five to all my visual learners out there, let’s do this thing. You now can declare your thanks out loud AND see what you’re grateful for all “thanks” 😀 to these spiffy little pieces of paper. We have 3 different versions for your printable pleasure:
Classic Chalkboard (this would be so fun if you have a white sharpie)
Orange, Because it’s seasonal
And Teal…because it’s my favorite color
Thanks for this post & the printables! I especially love this quote: “The attacks of discouragement will never stop coming, BUT if they’re met with praise at the gate, they won’t find entrance into your heart.” I followed you on Twitter scheduled this as a Tweet to share on Monday. I’m visiting from the Friday Features Link Party. Blessings!
Wow, thank you so much Renee, so glad you stopped by! That quote is originally from the “Crash the Chatterbox” book I referenced, it’s a good one 😉
The chalk board classics are my fav!! Thanks for stopping by for Fridays Features this week!
Thanks Karen!
Great post and lesson on gratitude, but wonderful printables! I think I’ll have to pin those!
Thank you so much Kate! ?
Thanks for sharing, I’m adding this to my Thanksgiving pinterest board. Great activity for the family.
Yay! That blesses my heart so much, thanks for stopping by Aimee! 🙂
I love these! They go right along with the 30 day challenge Small Words Big Change that I’m participating in. Love it!
Oh thats great! Thanks Christie ?so glad you stopped by!
That’s so great, sounds like an awesome challenge! Thanks for stopping by Christie 🙂
Beautiful printables! Love them! I’ve started this thing with my 3 and 4 year old that I thought of while reading your post. There are times when they’re upset about something and they say, “I wanted to do ____________ and you won’t let me, so I’m sad about that.” Whenever they say something like that, I have them say five things they’re happy about or thankful for. Silly mommy that I am, I haven’t applied this to myself. Your post made me realize…I NEED to be doing that as well! Thanks for the reminder!
We are all so guilty of that 🙂 You sound like a great mom! Enjoy the Printables 🙂
What a super encouraging post! I get discouraged easily when things start to not go the way I planned (which of course is basically all the time.) This is a post that I will have to return to whenever I feel the need to remind myself to keep trying!
I hear ya, taking my own advice all the time 😉 So glad it encouraged you
“The attacks of discouragement will never stop coming, BUT if they’re met with praise at the gate, they won’t find entrance into your heart.”
Absolutely LOVE this quote. It’s all about stopping it before it can even get started.
So true! So glad you stopped by Jenny 🙂
You are so right. Gratefulness creates positivity.
Very true, thanks Laina 🙂
Oooh, these printables are so cute! I love being reminded to be thankful in November. Although, this year I have been focusing on doing it year-round, so it wasn’t so much of a reminder as a keep up the good work. Thanks for sharing with Hump Day Happenings!
Haha, thats awesome! Keep up the good work Jenna! ?
I love your post. I, too, try to breathe the attitude of gratitude into people that desperately need it. In doing so, just as you said, it is so hard to stay upbeat. I consciously work on this every day. I am so happy I stumbled upon your blog. Hope you have a great day!
Im so happy you stopped by Debbie, thank you 🙂
I have been away from WordPress for far too long! These printables are adorable! I love all three colors.
AND – oi vey, are you right about being grateful. Sometimes I just want to relish in my bad mood, and Jesus gives me a gentle nudge (okay, more like a shove) and tells me to get out of the discouragement pit, and thank Him for just being alive.
Thank you for this reminder, Megan. I have been having a really tough time the past few weeks, and I really needed to read every word.
Ha, i know those “nudges” too ?thanks so much Kelly, so glad it encouraged you!
Cute printable. 😉 Thanks for the reminder to be grateful for what we are given! He is so good to us. 🙂
Thanks for sharing this at Savoring Saturdays!
So true! Thanks so much Raia!
Thanks for linking up to Savoring Saturdays! Stumbled!
Love this! It is so important to remember gratitude. It does help. We are doing a gratitude jar at my house, and every day we write down things on a piece of paper we are thankful for and put them in the jar. My little ones love it! At the end of the week, we will read them all and then start over. It is working great so far!! Have a great weekend and thanks for the printable.!
What a great idea!
Your post really spoke to me, as I am a planner and I am often discouraged when things don’t go the way I want them to. I will be downloading your printable so I will have that little nudge to remember to be grateful for so much. Thank you! I’d love if you would share this at my blog party, Celebrate It! It is all about celebrating our wonderful, everyday lives!
http://thefreshmancook.blogspot.com/2014/11/celebrate-it-blog-party-16.html
So glad it touched your heart 🙂 And thanks for the invite Teri, linking up now 🙂
Your printables are absolutely amazing! I’ll definitely be printing them out and filling them out so that I can keep my mind on the things that I am grateful for! Thank you so much for sharing these. 🙂
-Lara
Thank you so much Lara! So glad it touched your heart, enjoy the printables! 🙂
Hello beautiful! Love this. Pinned. Thank you for taking the time to stop by! I hope to see you at our party tonight, it starts at 7 pm. We love to party with you!
Happy Monday! Lou Lou Girls
This is so sweet.
Thanks for sharing your words of wisdom and the fabulous printables at the Say G’Day linky party. I’ve just pinned this to the Say G’Day Saturday board.
Hope you are having a great week.
Best wishes,
Natasha in Oz
Thank you so much Natasha!
Hello cute lady! I love this. Pinned. We really appreciate you taking the time to stop by our party. It wouldn’t be a party without you. Please join us on Monday at 7 pm. Happy Sunday! Lou Lou Girls
Thanks so much!
These are perfect for the week leading up to Thanksgiving! I love the teal one!
Thanks so much and thanks for all the blog love! 🙂 Hope you and your family enjoy the printable!
Wonderful post!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading. I love finding other women in my same blogging niche. It makes my heart happy!
I kept thinking of 1 Timothy 6:6 while reading this post. It really ties right into the concept of gratefulness: “Godliness with contentment is great gain”!
I’m visiting from the Oak & Oats link-up 🙂
Kristin // The Peculiar Treasure
athisfeetdaily.blogspot.com
Makes my heart happy too! Thanks for stopping by Kristin and for the reminder of that powerful verse! ☺️
Love this, Meg! I tend to get the winter blues each year, but reminding myself of all the good in my life always perks me up. Thanks for sharing!
So glad it could help perk you up! ?thanks for stopping by Molly!
i am all about waking up with a grateful heart! thank you so much for sharing- love the printable! i host a gratitude project each month if you want to join… 🙂
Thank you Nelle! So glad you stopped by! Very interested in the gratitude project, thanks for letting me know about it!
This is such a lovely free printable! I’m really thinking about featuring on my kindness project for this week (:
http://www.andieconn.com/diy-polka-dot-kraft-paper-gift-wrap-tutorial/
Thank you so much Andie! I would be honored ☺️
These are beautiful, and will provide much encouragement, I know! Thanks so much for joining us at the #HomeMattersParty – we hope to see you again next week!
Thank you Kristen, I really appreciate that?that’s what I’m hoping too!
Thanks for sharing at #HomeMattersParty I do a blog every once in a while and call it Wonderful Wednesday. It is a post where I tell what I am thankful for and grateful for that week. It can be a very hard post to write because I need to slow down and appreciate life more.
Wow Angela what a valuable gift to your readers. It’s true it really takes discipline to slow down and celebrate and enjoy the every day doesn’t it? So glad you stopped by!