“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”
-Colossians 3:16

I think that most of us know that it’s better to focus on the good things that are happening in our lives today. Nonetheless, sometimes we still feel sour, angry, or embittered about things in our past.

What if God doesn’t want you just to be thankful for the good things in life today? What if he wants you to be thankful for the good things that happened in your yesterday, as well?

We’ve all had rotten things happen to us, but the past can be redeemed in the kingdom of God. What if you could change the way you view your past by seeing the many good things that God did, even in your childhood, so that today you could have more joy and more gratitude?

The heart that is thankful and blessed by its past is also blessed in its present and is hopeful for the future.

PRAYER: Dear Lord, I thank you for all things. You’ve been with me through it all. I choose to forgive those who have been hurtful and concentrate on the blessings, the love, and the care I have received. Amen.

REFLECTION: Have you been able to take a bad experience and, through forgiveness or a change in attitude, revise the memory into one that was not all bad or even a blessing? Please describe.