Gratitude Attitude

I had the privilege a few weekend's ago of attending a ladies' retreat with my church.  It was at the same church that my Grandma, my Aunt and other members of my family have attended for years.  I wasn't able to get off work early enough to ride with my church ladies, but I got to spend some amazing one-on-one time with a sweet member of our church who drove separately.  I would have to say that it was a wonderful weekend filled with friends and family (although I did miss the husband and kids a little lot!)

There were so many excellent lessons packed into such a short period of time, I really think I could type for weeks and still not do this meeting justice.  Let's just say, I have a year's worth of things on which to meditate and WORK! 

Two specific things were JOY and THANKFULNESS!

Although the main speaker was exceptional and brought to mind many thought-provoking points (not attacking fellow sisters with "friendly" fire, being prepared for the battle, etc.), I was challenged by the testimony of two different ladies from the host church.

We walked in (almost an hour late) just as the first lady, Mrs. Amy Paget spoke about having joy in your life.  "Why would anyone want to be a Christian if you are always glum?"  She was truly the friendliest person I have ever met, and I feel like I've met quite a few.  Such a challenge to consistently exhibit the joy of the Lord in my life no matter what the circumstances.

The next day, a young lady that I have watched for years gave her special testimony. Miss Kacie Johnson talked very candidly about being thankful for the things with which God has so abundantly blessed his children.  Whether we choose to be thankful or not, He HAS blessed us.  It's up to us whether we have the right attitude about it.  The one thing that stuck with me the most was this, "What if God took away everything that you had not thanked Him for today?" 

WOW!

Am I thankful for the things God has given me?

The red light that made me late (& kept me from being in the 3-car pileup?) The leftover casserole that spilled on the freshly-mopped floor? The extremely slow computer that never loads anything quickly? The children who are constantly being corrected for talking back? The husband who doesn't pick up after himself?

Am I truly thankful for the blessings in my life or just the blessings that come out the way I had planned?

Like I said, lots of good stuff, and so much to work on....