Part 12 (1/2)

Sometimes we only grasp the important lessons in our lives when we fall flat on our faces. The psalmist says: ”Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now Your word do I keep [hearing, receiving, loving, and obeying it]” (Psalm 119:67). It isn't that G.o.d is out to hurt us, but G.o.d loves us enough to stop us and hopefully wake us up to how wrong we are living. I often think of the young man we call the Prodigal Son in the Bible. He wanted to have his inheritance early but then wasted the entire thing. He ended up with a job feeding hogs and had to eat their food. It wasn't long before he came to his senses and realized he needed to go home to his father and beg for forgiveness. His trouble finally caused him to realize the error of his ways.

Throughout my many years in ministry, I've heard stories from people who had wonderful jobs or great ministries or made a great deal of money-and then their lives fell apart. They were people who had things but not G.o.d. One man-someone who was once a millionaire-came to our meetings after he spent three years in prison. The first words out of his mouth were, ”I'm glad I was convicted and sent to prison. I had run from G.o.d for a long time. The Lord finally got my attention when someone gave me a copy of Joyce Meyer's book Healing the Brokenhearted while I was in prison.”

Not everyone can rejoice and give thanks for their suffering, but we can all give thanks in the midst of it. G.o.d has our well-being in mind and we can trust that whatever happens in life He will work out for good if we continue loving and serving Him (see Romans 8:28).

CHAPTER 49.

Tips for Being Thankful All of us know we need to be thankful. G.o.d tells us to do so, and we also know from our own experience that once we seriously start praising G.o.d, our burdens and our troubles seem to weigh less heavily on our shoulders.

That is part of the power of being thankful. As we pause to give thanks to G.o.d for what is good in our lives, we also appreciate what we have. I believe G.o.d wants us to be grateful people-people who are filled with grat.i.tude not only toward G.o.d but also toward other people. That's my first tip: when someone does anything nice for you, let that person know you appreciate it.

G.o.d wants us to be grateful people- people who are filled with grat.i.tude not only toward G.o.d but also toward other people.

One day I was going into an office building, and a man standing nearby opened the door for me. I thanked him and smiled. ”You're the fifth person I've held the door for,” he said, ”and you're the first one to smile and the second to thank me.”

I thanked him a second time. Afterward, I thought how much we take others for granted, even when they do such simple things as open a door for a stranger.

Instead of accepting that as the way things are, we can develop a thankful mind. Did your bus arrive on time today? If so, did you thank the driver? When you ate at the restaurant, did you thank the server for filling your coffee cup a second time without being asked? I could go on and on, but the point I want to make is: develop an att.i.tude of grat.i.tude toward the people in your life.

Here's another tip: appreciate your family members, especially the person to whom you're married. Even though Dave and I have been married a long time, I still tell him I appreciate him. He's patient with me and thoughtful. Just those few words of thanks are a great way to develop a thankful mind and heart. Showing appreciation is one of the best ways to improve relations.h.i.+ps.

When you express appreciation, it's good for the other person to hear the words, but also remember it releases joy in you. You enrich both your life and another person's life, even by appreciating small things.

Another thing you can do is meditate daily on things for which you can be thankful. I heard of one man who won't get out of bed in the morning until he has thanked G.o.d for at least ten things. He counts them on his fingers, and they're small things really, such as having a reliable car to drive, being a member of an exciting Sunday school cla.s.s, or just being thankful he's healthy. I often thank G.o.d for having hot water. I really enjoy taking a hot bath and I am aware that mult.i.tudes of people in the world don't even have clean water to drink, let alone the simple joy of sitting in a bathtub filled with hot water.

The man I mentioned also has the habit prior to going to sleep of focusing on at least three things that went well that day. He relives those three positive things. For him, it can be as simple as his supervisor telling him what a good job he did on a project or an affirming e-mail from a friend.

Here's another tip: Be thankful for the honesty in other people. No one likes to hear negative things, but sometimes you need to hear them. Of course, they may momentarily hurt your feelings, but you still can learn and grow from the experience.

I have a friend who says, ”Only two people will tell you the truth about yourself: someone who's angry at you and someone who loves you very much.” G.o.d uses both types of people in our lives.

So be thankful for people who tell you the truth about yourself, even if it's not what you want to hear. When you hear the truth-especially something of which you're not aware, you can change. And after you've changed, isn't that just one more thing for which you can be thankful?

The things to be thankful for are really too many to count, but sadly we miss many of them simply because we don't purposely look for them. This is a good time to decide to form a new habit of being extremely thankful and saying so.

CHAPTER 50.

Jesus Came to Set You Free The Bible says Jesus came to open prison doors, open blinded eyes, and set the captives free (see Isaiah 61:1). When it speaks of blind eyes it is not only speaking of those physically blind. Jesus did heal those who had no natural sight, but He also wants to open our eyes to what He has provided for us, that which we may be missing through lack of knowledge. I attended church regularly for many years without ever hearing Jesus wanted to set me free from my past and other things that kept me in a prison of defeat and discouragement. I heard Jesus died for my sins and because of Him I could be forgiven and have the hope of heaven, but I did not hear anything that was helping me live my daily life in victory.

What kind of bondages do you have in your life? Are you frustrated, confused, unhappy, or discontent with yourself and your life? Do you experience guilt, condemnation, fear or worry, and anxiety? If so, you need to hear the good news that Jesus came to help you realize those prison doors have been opened by Him and you are free to walk out and begin a new life lived with and for Him.

It is good to look forward to heaven, but what about right now? Are you enjoying your life now? If not, you need to know it is G.o.d's will for you to do so. Jesus said He came that we might have and enjoy life abundantly (see John 10:10).

I want to encourage you to make a decision that you will have and enjoy everything Jesus died to give you. Press past the things holding you in bondage to the glorious life of freedom available to you right now.

I lived for many years as a Christian still held in bondage to the pain of my past. I had a bitter att.i.tude, self-pity, resentment, and many other negative emotions. These things were actually my prison. We do not have to be in a physical prison to be in prison. Mental and emotional prisons may indeed be worse than a physical one. People may be free to move about and go here and there, but if they are continually tormented in their souls they are not truly free.

Mental and emotional prisons may indeed be worse than a physical one. A person may be free to move about and go here and there, but if they are continually tormented in their soul they are not truly free.