30 Things I’m Grateful For

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Whew! This grateful journal has been a long time coming! At the time the idea to write this book was hatched, I had so much to

be grateful for! So much! And then all of a sudden, the problems trickled in, and I didn’t even feel like God cared about me.

I remember feeling so angry that God hadn’t answered my prayers even when I took a leap of faith to leave my abusive marriage. I was praying more, I was fasting, I was doing all the right things and then, I slipped. I struggled with getting accommodation coupled with the feeling of not being worthy. I was down.

Then God said to me, life is all about perspective. You can choose to sulk over that seemingly insurmountable problem or be happy and grateful that you are alive, even to see the problem. The decision is yours to take.

Like me, most people are at different phases in their lives. For some, they are at the brink of another world, in between the devil and the Deep Blue Sea. Their problems seem to fill earth and sky. Then there are those who are seeping through life hoping for brighter days. They take life as it comes, one day at a time. The third category of people are my favourite; the grateful ones. They always find something to be grateful for. You’ll never see them wallow in self-pity just because they’re having a bad day. They always have a cheerful disposition and thank God for the minutest of things. We can all use some gratefulness, don’t you think?

I’ll start. My name is Brenda Lutterodt and I am grateful to God for my existence. For my birth, family, health, home, my purpose, upbringing, pain, body, my education, businesses, son, friends and my church. I am grateful for everything God has made me to be.

For a few years now, I’ve kept a GRATEFUL JOURNAL. This journal contains some of the numerous things God has done for me in a particular year. I say ‘some’ because the list of things God has done is not exhaustive. Human as we are, we might even forget! In fact, an opportunity missed might just be something to be grateful to God for. But again, it’s our perspective.

Oh you’ll find several things in my journal. I write some of the weirdest things God has done for me, like curbing my sexual appetite and helping me to find a car on a hot sunny afternoon.

I write about the people God connects me to and thank Him for such connections. I write about how God healed my son during a short illness. I thank God for everything I can possibly remember and write it down as a way of showing appreciation to God for all His blessings. In times of trouble, this journal reminds me of God’s faithfulness to me in times past.

Gratitude is an attitude. You don’t have to see manna from heaven before you thank God for His blessings. You don’t have to have a billion dollars in your account before you feel grateful. You need to practise gratitude. Always thanking God for making you see the light of day, for the air that you breathe, the clothes that you wear, for the relative peace of mind that you enjoy, and the uncountable blessings you have.

Gratitude is not mere semantics or a vague concept that should be practiced as and when or with or without having something to be grateful for. It is an obligation to give thanks, for we must give before we get.

Gratitude is a way of thinking that focuses on all the positives instead of all the negatives. Gratitude means recognizing the value of every experience, good and bad. So when you’re having a bad day, and you can still thank God for something He has done for you, you know you’re grateful!

Gratitude is non-denominational. Regardless of the faith you believe in, being thankful is non-negotiable. You have no choice than to be thankful. Even if you’re an atheist, your silly mind is something you should be grateful for. Who created it? Come back when you get the answer.

This book aims to help you practise the habit of showing gratitude. Not just to your Maker but to be grateful for the people, relationships and things your path is aligned with. It is a book of self-reflection, one that would help you to nourish your spiritual path with the right mindset.

As humans, we would rather complain about all the things going wrong in our lives than to count our blessings. Yes, things have been tough this year, economy has been tight, cost of living has increased, but we forget that in all this, we are still breathing, we still have food in our fridge, clothes to wear, a roof over our head, good health and no illness. Why can’t we look past our troubles and be grateful for how far God has brought us? Why can’t we see ourselves and our lives as a work-in-progress? After all, slow motion is better than no motion, right?

Attitude is everything. Life is all about PERSPECTIVE. Choose this day to be grateful to God for every ‘little’ thing He does for you. And the BIG ONES too! And you’ll see how everything shifts in your favour just by you having the right attitude. It’s gon’ be worth it in the end! Trust your unknown future to a known God.

And in that day you will say:

‘’Praise the Lord, call upon His name; Declare His deeds among the peoples, Make mention that His name is exalted. Sing to the Lord, for He has done excellent things; this is known in all the earth.’’ Isaiah 12:4-5 (NKJV)

‘’Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’’ Psalm 103:1-4 (NKJV)

‘’Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is the great God, And the great King above all gods.’’ Psalm 95:1-3  (NKJV)

‘’Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of

God in Christ Jesus for you.’’ 1 Thessalonians 5:18  (ESV)