Carol McClain

How To Find God With Gratitude

@carol_mcclain

So you’ve heard this before: You can find God through gratitude journaling.

What? It didn’t work?

I fully understand. I tried gratitude journals so many times and ended up repeating myself over and over and getting the same results. Quitting.

This time though?

At the end of this post, I’ll give you my formula.

I started because my good friend told me about an author who struggled with depression (sorry, I forgot the author’s name). In this woman’s life, a friend challenged her to write one thousand things she was grateful for without repeating herself. Despite the hard times of her life, joy came and obviously–with joy, depression vanished.

As those who have read my blogs, you know the depths of sorrow that had racked me for a year.

So, the idea intrigued me.  I challenged myself to write as many things I was grateful for each morning. I’d use this gratitude journal as my morning prayers. The results:

AMAZING

The first few days were easy. I had to stop writing because of time. As the days progressed and I could no longer use the standard: my husband, my daughter, chocolate–I began to delve.

Now, in little things, I feel the presence of God and am thankful for big and little things–for joy in other’s lives as well as mine. Love overwhelms me for people I meet. A turtle crossing the road intrigues and blesses me. We found a family’s lost dog and my spirit rejoiced all day because they her happy. I find myself more immersed in joy than sorrow.

That’s my testimony and this is how it works:

How to find God with gratitude:

1. Start a journal. I use a pretty notebook, and I only use this book for my morning thanksgiving. Use whatever works for you.
2. Write every day. I believe a consistent time period works best. Your personality may find you don’t need to write at the same time each day–morning or night or midday–mix-it-up. The important thing is to write daily. (this will get more challenging as old habits and everyday commitments intervene.
3. Do not repeat yourself. Of course, you’re going to have some repetition as you forget some of your earliest notes of gratitude. Work to find something new.
4. Strive for as many points as you can think of each day. Don’t settle for the standard five most people write. My absolute minimum is ten things I’m thankful for. As you stretch yourself, you’ll find God and beauty and love in so many things: soap bubble rainbows, the bus you caught in the nick of time, the texture of trees, the architecture of bridges (I’m revealing my favs here).

Let me know how this works for you.

Tell me about improvements.

Rejoice always,pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus (1 Thess. 5: 16-18)

In the mood for a good read? Check these books out. (I’d be grateful–LOL)