Melancholy personalities have the tendency to entertain more negative thoughts and emotions than positive ones. We get in a funk and spiral downward, sometimes we are out of control. This either inspires other melancholy people to join us, or it turns other people away from wanting to be around us.
Gratitude is the route to end this downhill descent. In the beginning, I had to make a list every night before I went to sleep of five things in my life for which I was grateful. Sometimes this took a while, because my mind kept wandering to those areas for which I thought that I could not be thankful.
Then the Spirit of God stepped in and reminded me that feeling appreciative for the negative aspects of my life was as rewarding as showing gratitude for the positive issues. I started listing the negative features as well, as I thanked God for everything that He allowed to affect my day.
God’s will for us is to rejoice always, to pray continually, and to give thanks for every circumstance. In Christ, we find it possible to follow these instructions (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). As we communicate with our Father God throughout our day, we discover the good in every aspect that God allows – knowing that it is for our eventual good (Romans 8:28).
In spite of our issues, God’s love endures forever, and makes our path level. We change our focus and experience everything with the thought that patience is having her perfect work in us. The Holy Spirit is changing us from one stage of glory to the next (James 1:4-8; 2 Corinthians 3:18).
Even when we are not experiencing any trials at the moment, we take the time to express our gratitude to our Father God (Psalm 106:1). At times, He answers our prayers before we finish expressing them (Isaiah 65:24). His love endures forever and ever. He protects us in ways that we may not ever see.
Prayer:
Father God, so many of Your children are discontent with their lot in life. We forget to thank You for all of Your gifts of blessings and trials. Paul, chained to the prison floor, sang praises to You into the night; and as he did, You loosened him from prison and gave him something to really rejoice about – a jailer’s converted family (Acts 16:25-34).
The unstable highway of life often discourages us, until we look at it from Your perspective. You protect us from dire circumstances that we see, and some that we will never know about until we arrive in Heaven. Even when You do not answer us as we expect, You work out everything for our eventual good (Romans 8:28). Thank You for loving us so much.
Thought for the Day:
Gratitude has a way of restoring our joy regardless of our trials, and continual prayer keeps us connected to the Trinity of God within us, who keeps us focusing on God’s will for us in every moment of every day, regardless of our issues.
