We talked yesterday about being a more enthusiastic and outgoing person and how it can lead us to good things in life. Today, I want to delve deeper into the manner in which this happens, and I believe it boils down to one word — gratitude. The more thankful we are, the more we develop the qualities that make us successful, since all good fruit grows from within. We can’t really “will” ourselves into attitudes and behaviors, because unless they are rooted in genuine love for Jesus, they won’t last. The measure to which we enjoy life correlates directly to the amount of genuine gratitude we have for who our Savior is and what He has done. This is why, when we begin to understand how perfectly He cares for us, we can be thankful for just about anything. Even if we travel a hard road, we can rejoice along the path, because we know that every difficulty has been redeemed. We serve the God who causes ALL things to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose, and this means that there’s nothing — past, present, or future — that we can’t praise Him for!

My friend, right now, you have at least a hundred blessings waiting to be counted — your charge is to find them. If there’s breath in your lungs, sunshine in the sky, the love of friends and family in your heart, or even something challenging that you’re enduring, all of these are reasons to give the Lord praise. He sees, He understands, and He has already authored the perfect outcome to every perplexing thing that you face. This means you can confidently make thanksgiving your default and know that as you do, a fountain of joy will spring up from within and spill over freely to others!