Seven Sacrifices to Joy

Coffee Hour @ Chicklit Power...

Happy day to you, and thanks so much for joining me for more of the Seven Sacrifices to Joy! Can you believe it; we are on sacrifice number six! Grab your coffee and your Strand of Faith and let’s go talk about an attitude of gratitude, aka, thanksgiving!

The sixth sacrifice is thanksgiving and kind of works like the sacrifice of joy. What I mean by that is thanksgiving, an attitude of gratitude works like joy in that it can pull us up and out of the murky pits of sadness, depression, frustration and even anger. Much like joy, a sacrifice of thanksgiving is made easier when we stay in touch -- and pardon the pun -- with our five senses. I have learned, finally, that there is always something to be thankful for, truly! Psalm 107:1 tells us to give thanks to God for His steadfast love endures forever … that’s a promise in and through any circumstance which challenges your faith, your joy, your ability to give thanks!

My leadership team and I planned something really thought-and thankful-provoking for the last class of Transform I and I gave it the title of problem swapping. Here’s how it worked: First, in their group times, they were asked what their perspective was on trusting God. Then they were each given an index card to write their current problem that they were going through. I encouraged them that if there were more than one, to write the biggest one, the one really making life difficult for them. Then, on the backside, they were to write how they were going to trust God in that problem for the solution to that problem, based on their perspective of what it means to trust God. At the end of the class, everyone had to put their problem on the table and then we formed a circle. One by one, they came forward, grabbed a card/problem and read aloud the problem, thus sharing it with the group, which means we were learning how to share our burdens. Then they were to turn the card over for the perspective on how to trust God in the problem for the solution to the problem.

There were many “problems” revealed that helped each one of us to not only empathize with the person going thru what they were, but give us an attitude of gratitude for our own problem that may have seemed a bit easier. While the problems were anonymous, I encouraged everyone to take the card/problem home and pray for that person with that problem. It was incredibly powerful, and helped each one of us find something to be thankful about/for. It was such an amazingly powerful moment…made sweeter by each offer of thanksgiving.

We can change our attitude with a dose of gratitude! When we exchange complaining for gratitude, He changes our perspective and increases our faith. When a sacrifice of thanksgiving becomes an accompaniment to any of the sacrifices, its power is doubled, granting us smooth sailing through chaotic storms. Oh, what a feeling, to have peace in chaos! And just think, we have that ability within us to change the power of the storm … by offering up a Sacrifice of Thanksgiving.

Thanking Him while in the storm will enable us to thank Him for the storm! After all, He’s the ultimate Captain of our ship as we go through the waves of change and challenge. Will we let Him drive, thus experience peace and ensuring our safe arrival, or will we try and take the wheel al the while white-knuckling it through the changes and challenges, wondering whether we will land or capsize?

His grace and mercy are increased by our offering up a Sacrifice of Thanksgiving. The worst thing that can happen is your faith will increase, and your entire outlook on this journey of life will change as you learn to be content in all circumstances! And who doesn’t enjoy being around a content person? After all, the price paid for yours and my contentment … whew, well that’s something to be thankful for!

Join me next week as we go to and through the seventh sacrifice and be sure and join us tomorrow for Croley’s Corner @ Chicklit Power for Faith-Filled Friday!

Evinda