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Give Thanks with a Grateful Heart

By March 18, 2018March 19th, 2018Be Inspired, Divas Who Pray, Uncategorized

Happy Sunday Divas!!!

I hope you all had a wonderful week, and even if it came with a few challenges along the way…guess what? You made it to Sunday!

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This week’s scripture is about being grateful and thankful. The scripture reference is Psalms 100:4.

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”

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Sisters, life is happening 24/7 right? We plan our days down to the minute. We schedule our workouts and even lay out our workout cloths. We grocery shop for our weekly meals and make plans to ‘meal-prep’ on a specific day.

As strong, confident women will do; we dream, plan, and put forth every effort to accomplish what we have set out to do…right?

And then ‘life’ happens.

Someone gets ill, or worse we get ill. We get an unexpected task at work that involves us having to travel. One (or several) of the meals we have prepped comes out wrong, or burns. The class at the gym gets cancelled or worse you can’t work out because you are ill (LOL)!

expect the unexpected

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Last week we talked about speaking life (click here), from the scripture Proverbs 18:21  ‘The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.’

As we all know when things don’t go according to plan, sometimes it’s hard to speak life. Sooo another way to over come these ‘life’ challenges is to be thankful.

Just like speaking life it’s good to acknowledge (verbally) what we are thankful for.

When life throws me a curve ball I have to admit, I get a little flustered (to say the least), BUT I am learning 😉 to pause, take a moment and think about what I am grateful for.

I start by thinking of at least three things I am thankful for and before I know it I have several things I am grateful for.

  1. I am grateful for life
  2. I am grateful for my family and friends
  3. I am grateful for breath
  4. I am grateful for beautiful weather
  5. I am grateful for shelter
  6. I am grateful for transportation

Once I got into the habit of listing what I am grateful for, I can go way past three.  It also helps me get a better perspective on my life and what I’m going through. It’s funny how things don’t seem as bad or complex when I look at all the good in life.

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This week I challenge you to try this exercise when life throws you a curve ball and throws off your plans. Try focusing on the good things that are (and have) happened in your life. It might help put things back into perspective.

Lot of Love

Cil

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PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father, we thank you for life and life more abundantly. We are so very grateful for the opportunity to live at such a time as this and to be able to connect with other women on the same path/journey to healthy living.

When life becomes challenging and our plans get thrown off, please help us to refocus on you and all that you have blessed us with. Help us to see life in a more thankful and grateful perspective.

Dear father we would also like to lift up the family and friends of our sister, Dr. Tara Heyliger who lost her battle to Cancer this week. We ask you to comfort and strengthen them during this time for loss. Help her legacy to continue to live through the women, children and lives she touched during her life.

In Jesus Name
Amen

15 Comments

  • Felicia Bivens says:

    Cil, this is so good. I’ve learned in life that there is something to be thankful for in every situation. And taking the time to be thankful redirects my focus towards positivity when my plans are interrupted. But I’ve also learned that when God interrupts my plans, he is giving me opportunity for something, or protecting me from something! As Psalm 100:5 says:
    “For the Lord is good and his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.” Glory!!!

    • Priscilla Williams says:

      Felicia, you are so right…there have been times when I didn’t understand why things happened (or didn’t happen) and sometimes God will allow me to see why He interrupted my plans. I’m sooo thankful that He loves us enough to protect. It also taught me to pray God’s will be done, and to help me to accept His plan no matter how much I desire to have what I prayed for.
      Thanks for sharing that added wisdom.
      Lots of Love
      Cil

  • Ermise Cummings says:

    Hello Priscilla. Being thankful to the Lord is a daily lifestyle. Your blog is awesome and very uplifting. I truly enjoyed reading it. May God continue to bless you to bless others. Auntie Ernise

  • Celestine Jackson says:

    Excellent word!! I’ve learned to be thankful for the small things… the sound of birds singing, the smell of freshly mowed grass, my grandkids laughter. It definitely helps to give you a different perspective. Thanks Priscilla for your beautiful words each week.

    • Priscilla Williams says:

      Celestine, you are so right… Isn’t it amazing when you take time to acknowledge and be thankful for the everyday blessing from God like the sound of birds, and the ability to actually hear them…and especially your grand-babies. I agree, it does give a different perspective… 🙂
      Thank you for sharing
      Lots of Love
      Cil

  • Deantwa Bush-Corbitt says:

    Amen! Amen! Amen!

  • Valerie says:

    Thank you for your words. Practicing gratefulness when life happens reminds me to also trust God’s plan for my life as in Jeremiah 29:11. I appreciate the reminder to get back to the basics of being grateful in every situation.

    • Priscilla Williams says:

      You are so very welcome Valerie. Yeess! Jeremiah 29:11 – Love that scripture! It’s so reassuring to know that He has plans for us and His plans are always good!
      Thanks for commenting
      Cil

  • Garnett McNeill says:

    Cil this is such a great post. Sometimes when life gets too overwhelming for me I do stop and think of all the good that I have and it makes me feel better. I am teaching this to my daughter as well. Thank you for creating this post. I hope it touches a lot of people.

    • Priscilla Williams says:

      Thanks Garnett. During this season of my life, God is allowing me to be tested on all the things He allowed me to learn over the past 5-6 years. And as you probably know when we are being tested it’s so easy to become overwhelmed (well for me it is…lol). But having that grateful heart helps to keep things in perspective and also brings us closer to God.
      You are an awesome mommie – keep teaching and guiding your baby and she will do well.
      Lots of Love
      Cil

  • Morgan T says:

    Great word It was definitely right on Time forever grateful and blessed and highly favored !

  • Gwen Hatfield says:

    Thank you for the reminder.!!! I am Grateful, Thankful, and blessed and the favor of GOD surrounds me like a shield . I am the Head and not the tail,. I have battles won that I do not have to fight Doors are opening for me that men have said are closed Why all because of favor . !!! I have supernatural increase and debit cancellation. I am blessed and highly favored in JESUS Name Amen 🙏🏽

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