Thankful

I have been challenged by this book I've recently started reading.  For the past week or two it has focused on being THANKFUL. 2012 has been a real struggle for me; this past summer I cried almost everyday on my way to work for about a month straight.  I couldn't shake the circumstances and feelings I was encountering.  I am not crying on my way to work anymore :) and am feeling more emotionally stable than I have in months.  

Whether I have felt it or not, I KNOW my heavenly Father was been walking by my side this whole time.  I have been able to start my day out being thankful for things I don't really "feel" or "think" I should be thankful for.  As I read this tidbit the other morning, it hit hard and I've been letting it sink in deep:  

"Thankfulness takes the sting out of adversity...There is an element of mystery in this transaction: You give me thanks (regardless of your feelings), and I give you Joy (regardless of your circumstances.) Those who obey Me in this are invariably blessed, even though difficulties may remain. Thankfulness opens your heart to My Presence and your mind to My thoughts...enabling you to see from My perspective...removing the sting from adversity."  
--Jesus Calling

I truly believe this statement. I've seen thankfulness slam adversity in to the ground--as unnatural as it may seem.  I known people who have lost everything in a house fire and they were thanking God the next day for His faithfulness to them.  I've seen people loose a family member, and praise God as tears stream down their face for the love and grace they're encountering with Jesus.  These situations bring "the JOY of the Lord is my STRENGTH" to LIFE.

There are so many things I am thankful for these days.  I'm even learning to be thankful for the hard things.  My desire is to let thankfulness continually rule in my heart; to build a foundation of gratitude that circumstance cannot shake.  As the blessings add up each day, may the walls I have build around my heart and eyes fall away to the glorious riches of heaven here on earth.