I came across a book on gratitude, which has actually changed my life, and I was a very grateful person, to begin with.

We all have problems; they come to us all. Some are physical, others are emotional, and sometimes even spiritual ones arise.

We like to be in control of any change in our lives, but it doesn’t always work out that way; life evolves at an alarming rate. With all the pressure, stress and worry, we can easily get caught up in it, not seeing a way out.

“I would be very grateful if things would just work out the way I want.” Then it works out, and we are thankful for a fleeting moment.

In the book, it made reference to Matthew 13:12. “Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away.”

Many people have said to me, this passage sounds unjust, as it seems to be saying the rich will get richer and the poor will get poorer. For me, Jesus is talking about knowledge of the kingdom of heaven, but gratitude fits very well.

“Whoever has gratitude will be given more, and he will have abundance. Whoever does not have gratitude, even what he has will be taken away.”

We live in a society of MORE, everyone wants MORE, they want to lose more weight, they want more holidays, they want more money, then they will be happy. In their search for more, they are missing a vital ingredient – Gratitude.

The art of being grateful for what we already have.

When you are grateful for your job, even if it’s not perfect, your view on it will change, meaning you will enjoy it more.

When you are grateful for the relationships in your life, even if some of them are not perfect, you will begin to look at the positive aspects of them, and the appreciation for them will grow.

When you are grateful for the money you have, no matter how little, you will find, this simple change of focus makes a huge difference in how rich you feel.

The flipside is when you are not grateful, you will find that you will only look at the negative things in your job, in your relationships, you will complain about the lack of money, meaning you will not even get the enjoyment out of the little you have.

What You Focus On Grows.

It was recommended to write down 10 things each morning that you were grateful for. I thought to myself after a few days this is going to be difficult, but what I found was, during the day new ideas kept popping into my head. It became clear to me, very quickly, there was so much in my life to be grateful for.

My list started with the Internet because it is the reason I am connecting to you today. My family for giving me a solid foundation of faith. My senses so I can experience the world in all its glory. It actually alarmed me the number of things that I took for granted.

If you mentioned being thankful for your sight to anyone that has sight they would not really appreciate what you mean. Take it away from them for even an hour, and their life would come to a stand still.

Throughout the week my list started to include the simple pleasures of life, coffee, food, clothes, nature. Then I began to realise the number of people that contributed to provide service to me throughout the week. Thousands of farmers, manufacturers, packers, delivery drivers. All essential people to my survival, but all of which, until recently – I took for granted.

The more I was grateful, the happier I became. There was so much in my life that I took for granted; I simply did not realise how rich and successful I really was. I have absolutely no excuse to complain about anything. In today’s high standard of living, I haven’t got much, but I am still richer than half the people on this planet.

Some people might say, all this grateful stuff is not going to make my life any better, so what if I can walk, so what if I can talk, feel, hear, see, everyone can do these things? What am I gaining by being thankful for what I already have, it seems pointless?

You will find that these same people are not entirely happy; they will constantly be depressed and stressed. No matter how much money they have, they will still have a void in their life. They will spend all the money they have, maybe even more than they have, with the illusion that MORE will fill the void, but they will still be unhappy stressed and depressed. They will still say that gratitude is a waste of time.

When you think, I don’t like my job, I’m not happy in my relationship, I haven’t got enough money, my life’s a mess, I cant pay my bills, no one appreciates me, I haven’t got enough time, then you attract more of these experiences.

Learn to turn it around to:

I’m grateful for my job. I’m grateful for the relationships that make me happy; I’m thankful for the money I have, I’m grateful for my life. I’m grateful that I am able to use service’s before I need to pay for them. I’m thankful for the people that do appreciate me.

True happiness and fulfilment come from being thankful for what you already have. When you are grateful, even the smallest increase in any of these things feels like a gift.

Much of what we take for granted living in the west, people in other parts of the world dream about.

True riches come from gratitude. Try it just for today, and you will see the difference that it makes.

Have a good weekend.

Rev J Martin

 

2016 has had its ups and downs, full of personal heartache, sickness, and a little slice of success.

New doors are opening in front of me, and although scared what may be on the other side, I’m also confident, when I walk through them; a new world awaits.

Within the year, I’ve learned new lessons about what happiness means, and how you can attain it, which I would like to share with you today.

Here are my 17 ways to be a lot happier in 2017.

 

 

1 – Take Good Care Of Yourself

Unless you are running at 100%, you can not truly help others. You must first look after your mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health. Only then, can the Spirit of God flow through you into everything you do.

 

2 – Stop Trying To Change Others

It very rarely happens. The older we get, the more set in our ways we become. You can’t change others; you just can’t. Be the change you want to see in others, which ties in with number 3.

 

3 – Work On Yourself

This might sound a little selfish at first, but you will quickly realize how challenging it is to change your bad habits, which will make point 2 a lot clearer.

 

4 – Take Your Time

When you slow your life down and realize it is not a race, you begin to enjoy it more. When we are always running after others, or ourselves, we miss out on all the good things.

A beautiful sunrise or sunset, birds chirping, and the soothing sound of a stream.

 

5 – Surround Yourself With Good People

The people that you surround yourself with, has a massive impact on your life. It can seem good to help negative people, but if you are not careful, negative people can affect your spirit.

Make sure you are surrounded with good people, people that encourage you and help you grow. People that can keep an eye on you when your life gets out of balance.

2017 is a year for growth. Cut out all the dead weight – all those that are holding you back.

 

6 – Trust Gods Timing

In life, we want everything on our timetable, but I have found life has its own timetable. The more you fight the natural speed of things, the more you will be stress, depressed or anxious.

Learn to surrender in 2017.

 

7- Be Mindful Of What You Consume

Food, friendships, media, etc. Get rid of everything that does not support you, and help you become a healthier version of yourself.

 

8 – Forgive, Even When You Have Been Wronged.

Forgive yourself and others quickly. Forgiveness is one of Jesus central messages and one of the most important ones.

When you forgive, you do not forgive their behavior. You are not saying what they did was right. You are simply releasing the infection, emptying out the toxins, so they can no longer poison your life.

 

9 – Look For The Silver Lining

Even at the worst moment, there is a lesson to be learned. There is always a reason things don’t work out, or happen in the way we expect, but often we need to look hard for it.

 

10 – It’s Not Always About You

Sometimes how someone treats you is a reflection of how they feel about themselves. Their actions or words reveal the condition of their own heart.

Learn not to take things personally. Instead, pray for that person.

I forgive you for not being who I want you to be, I forgive you and set you free.

 

11 – Don’t Be A Doormat

Have enough respect to walk away from the people that misuse or mistreat you. People respond better to you when you are assertive and ask for what you deserve.

 

12 – Apologize

If you are in the wrong, be big enough to admit it.

 

13 – Understand That Everyone Has His Or Her Own Perception

We all view things differently. How you look or feel about a situation can be completely different than the next person. Example, one person looks at the glass half empty, the other looks at the glass half full.

 

14 – Put Down The Phone, and enjoy what is happening around you.

I recently visited a beautiful waterfall. As the sun came out from behind the clouds, the way the light bounced off it was breathtaking. Everyone took out their phones, and so did I.

As the water was spraying everywhere getting a good shot was near to impossible. Before I got one, the sun had gone.

Lesson learned.

 

15 – Realize Social Media Is Not Reality

Don’t buy into the hype. Everyone is human, with ups and downs in life.

Facebook, etc. are excellent ways to connect with people, but I often see others trying so hard to impress, trying to portray a perfect life, only posting exciting cool things.

You can easily feel that you are missing out on something, but you’re not.

 

16- Never Assume Someone Knows How You Feel

People cannot read your mind. If someone has hurt you, get it out in the open. In many cases, when I have done this I realized that I took what was said the wrong way entirely.

Issues cannot be resolved without communication.

 

17 – Stay On Your Own Path

Most of us think that we are qualified to tell others how they should or shouldn’t be living their lives; even if we have zero experience in the matter.

Unless asked for advice, plus have firsthand experience, I have found it’s better to let others make their own mistakes, as they grow wiser and stronger.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year!

Rev J Martin

 

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