Thank you.
I have vivid memories of my parents telling me, “remember to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ Noell.” To that I would usually roll my eyes…I know, I know. My father was {and is} pretty insistent on the thank you part of the message. He made sure to give me that stern, disapproving look when I would forget to express my gratitude. And even now, I’ll catch him doing this with my kids, his grandchildren.
After my parent’s divorce when I was about 7 years old and after seeing strangers stare at my developmentally disabled brother anywhere we went…I stopped being thankful for many things and I started being bitter and angry. What was it that I did that made my parents split up? Why can’t I have a “normal” brother? Why did God make me chubby? Why, when other kids’ parents are picking them up from school do I have to open the car door to see my grandpa…every.single.time? I would begin wallowing in my own self-pity and wishing my life to be different. Sitting in my room with the door closed I would read and read and read…taking in all the good things of others’ lives {fictional others} and wishing them to be my own.
What good has all this ingratitude given me? A life full of anger, regret and misery. The depression has always been floating under the surface and when I had my children it roiled up with a vengeance. It manifested itself in rage and hate {mainly for myself and for my ever-so innocent babies}…and really, things that I would never want to experience again. By this time I had been a believer for a good 3 years…why wasn’t I immune? I was constantly looking for answers.
Did I not pray enough? How much therapy and medication do I need before I feel “better”? Maybe if I read every book on the topic of depression I would find the answer. It never happened and if it did it was a very temporary solution to a debilitating problem. I was willing to try anything at this point.
Gratitude.
When we stop seeing reasons to give thanks, we stop thinking there are reasons to live.
~Ann Voskamp
Oh, how true this is!
I can see the look on my father’s face when I thank him…for the cup of coffee he just bought me, for the time spent alone with him by the river fishing {and not catching a darn thing}, for just sitting there in silence while we have breakfast. His face softens, his eyes begin to sparkle a bit. And all I said was…thank you.
If this is the reaction of my earthly father what is the reaction of my heavenly Father when I thank Him?
…[A] new study suggests that helping teens learn to count their blessings can actually play an important role in positive mental health. As gratitude increases, so do life satisfaction, happiness, positive attitudes, hope and even academic performance.
Give thanks! When I fail to see and recognize all the ways that the Lord has blessed me I fail to glorify Him and my life begins to lose meaning. I’m not saying the cure for debilitating depression is to simply say “thank you” but I know that when I say it and mean it the light starts to shine through the dark, luminous cloud of despair.
Dark can give birth to life, suffering can deliver grace, the ugly can be beautiful. God transfigures everything for His glory
~Ann Voskamp
What I am thanking the Lord for today….
#52 the energy to get through 48 hours with my kids, without my husband
#53 a little girl dressed as a furry animal
#54 those amazing sleeping babies
#55 a big brother loving on his littlest sister
#56 an amazing smile
#57 a refreshing and very yummy breakfast
#58 endless lengths of railroad track on my craft room floor
What are you thankful for?
Related articles
- How to Make Sure Your Kids {& You} have the Best Job in the World (aholyexperience.com)
- More Grateful Teens Less Likely To Be Depressed, Delinquent (medicalnewstoday.com)
- Change Your Lenses, Change Your Life. (lekanomodunbi.wordpress.com)
- Gratitude (fragmentsofragments.wordpress.com)
- Growing up grateful gives teens multiple mental health benefits (sciencedaily.com)
- The first thousand thanks (wordsofeternallife.org)
#48
(from 
inspiredness TM 