Give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:20, NLT).
I’ve heard it said that we can’t change the past.
It’s not true, we can change the past. Perhaps not the actual event but how it impacts our lives!
The Gratitude Attitude can change the past.
No matter what has happened in our lives, there is always something worthy of thanksgiving. Gratitude takes the negative out of the past and prepares us for God’s future blessings.
Have you ever encountered a perpetually disgruntled person?
I have – too often. Unfortunately, some, having been positive, are now turning negative. They are losing their Gratitude Attitude Battle of the Mind.
Let’s test my theory.
When you encounter a negative person, listen closely to their first comments. You can tell if they have a Gratitude Attitude. My lease recently expired on my car. I was discussing a new car with a salesperson and he opened the conversation with, “How are you doing on this miserable day?”
Yes, after a couple of weeks of spectacular weather in Ohio of 70 degrees and blue skies, the temperature had dropped with accompanying clouds and rain.
I didn’t purchase a car or continue the conversation with this salesperson. He had a reason to be thankful. There was a potential commission from our conversation. I didn’t want to deal with a negative person through a tedious car purchasing experience.
How do we develop the Gratitude Attitude or return to a thankful demeanor? Two things …
First: Allow present gratitude to change a negative past into future blessings.
Thanksgiving deals with the past while faith impacts our future. We are grateful or we are not. Making the gratitude choice frees us from past anger and bitterness.
We can now fully enjoy present and future blessings.
Second: Move on!
This week I read the following quote …
We all make mistakes and pretty much know it the moment we make them. If we are attentive to the moment, the lesson is learned. The error many people make is consistently allowing their attention to dwell on the mistakes of the past. When we allow our minds to dwell too much on the past, it impinges on our ability to live in the moment and enjoy the reality of what life has to offer. Why do we keep beating the horse? It is dead; move on. ~ Craig Manning
In another recent conversation, the person opened with a negative comment (not the already mentioned salesperson).
I followed this negative opening to our conversation by saying something positive.
The person countered with a negative. I began testing this person by saying something positive while thinking, “What will they say next?” And every time, my positive comments were answered with a negative statement.
The conversation ended with this person saying, “I’m frustrated that no one wants to spend time with me.”
Today is Thanksgiving Day in the U.S.A.
A great day to begin developing the Gratitude Attitude.