How’s your joy level? Do small children run in fear at the sight of you? Does your coffee need a coffee before talking to you in the morning? When you walk into a room, do lights dim and plants wilt? Does your alarm clock apologize before waking you up? I hope not.
“Fine Phil,” you say, “I’m a bit grumpy, but why shouldn’t I be? Have you seen the news? Crime is on the upturn. The economy isn’t. And politicians are on the loose. I can’t think of one good reason to smile today.”
Well, my friend, how about I give you 10? No matter how bad things are, I guarantee you, here are things that you can be thankful for today:
- You are alive. If you aren’t sure about this, place two fingers directly below your jaw line on the side of your neck. Do you feel that? It’s called a pulse. You are a wonderful collection of roughly 37 trillion cells, each one as complex as New York City, working together in seamless unity. You are a walking, breathing, miracle.
- You have purpose. The Bible tells us that we are created in the image of God. You’re unique among the created order. Made in God’s likeness. And as long as you have breath, you get to express God’s goodness to the world around you. Waytago!
- You have a sense of humour. Perhaps it has been buried somewhere deep down…but it’s still there. God gave it to you, so you have permission to use it liberally. To LOL. Go looking for good clean jokes, like this one, “I told my wife to embrace her mistakes, so she gave me a hug.” Haha! Thank God for humour.
- You live in an unbelievable time in history. We have the Internet, singing fish and nose hair trimmers. Better yet: modern healthcare, water on tap and a roof over our head. Great reasons to give thanks.
- You’ve made it through 100% of your bad days so far. If you’re in the middle of another one, with God’s, help you can get through it too.
- You can change. If you’re stuck in a rut, remember the Apostle Paul’s instruction, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” Don’t like the way things are, change your mind. With God’s help, you’ll become an even better version of you.
- You are loved by God. John 3:16 says, “God so loved the world…” This includes you. No matter where you are or what you’ve done, you are loved by the creator.
- God provided a way for you to live forever. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, NIV). Through faith in God’s Son Jesus, we get to live eternally. This eternal life includes a joy-filled life here, despite the troubles we face.
- God’s promises. God will never leave or forsake you. God will meet your needs. He will fight for you. He will give you rest. He will prepare a place for you in heaven, and nothing will separate you from His love.
- The best is yet to come. Those who trust Jesus have this confidence. No matter how tough things are, things will get better. Your story has a very happy ending. And eternity in heaven will be out of this word.
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