Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. —Psalm 100:4 NIV
Life is always less than perfect, so there’s always something to complain about if we want to take that attitude. But the Bible says, “Do everything without complaining and arguing” (Philippians 2:14 NLT). Why? Because the negativity snowballs if we entertain it. On the other hand, if we focus on the things we have to be grateful for, we enter God’s gates with thanksgiving. We’re in his powerful presence.
In The Daniel Plan we encourage you to write down at least three things you’re grateful for every day. Writing them down for even a couple of weeks can measurably increase your level of happiness and contentment.
It’s also helpful to tell someone what you’re grateful for, especially if it’s something they have done. Saying “Thank you” uplifts them and you. And if there’s a concrete way you can show your gratitude, like doing something for someone else, that will root you even deeper into the fertile soil of contentment.
Food for Thought: If we meditate on what we’re grateful for we will supercharge our mood and have a far richer experience of God’s powerful presence
