Now That's Heartitude

 Thanksgiving comes easily some days. But for caregivers, there are far more days when prayers of thanksgiving don't just roll off our lips. On those days, we need to take a little longer to find something to be thankful for. 

As I have continued looking at the character of Daniel, I found it interesting that in his prayer time it says he was giving thanks to God. My initial response was to ask what in the world he had to be thankful for. But I love his heartitude!

Even though he'd lived his life in captivity and had no hope of marrying or having a family, he found things to be thankful for. It can be very easy to get stuck and focus on all the things that haven't gone the way we thought they should. While caregivers deal daily with some level of grief, we can still find a place to be thankful, like Daniel.

The scriptures don't spell out his prayers of thanksgiving; they just mention that he was giving thanks to his God. Maybe that little phrase carries more weight since we know many of the details of his life. It was an obvious choice. A purposeful attitude. He wanted to give thanks and found ways to do it through the posture of his heart. What a great heartitude!

Some days, it's easier to find things to be thankful for. A house. Electricity. The Internet! Friends. Family. Progress or provision. Other days, we have to dig a little deeper. When I feel boxed in, or I'm unsure of my next step, being thankful be difficult. There are times when the caregiver's fog is so dense I can't even think. Those are the times when I go back to the basics. I've done it so many times.

I start with God's existence. That's about as basic as it can get. God, I thank you for being there. I may not feel you, see you, hear you, or sense you in any way, but I know that I know that I know You are there. Thank You for being there.

Even that simple act of giving thanks, even if nothing makes sense at the time, can ease back the caregiver's fog so I can breathe. It helps stir up my heartitude. 

There are some basic, simple things that we can be thankful for if we want to have heartitude. These can act as thought-provokers or mental launching pads that open up a lot more things to thank Him for. 

• Salvation
• Sunshine
• A meal
• Breath
• Daylight
• Being able to pray at all

Simple. Powerful. Period.

Starting with these simple things can shift our attitudes and help clear the murk out of our brains, at least a little bit. That opens up the opportunity to continue to expand our thinking and our mental reach expands until we find there really are a lot of things to be thankful for, even in difficult circumstances like Daniel found himself in.

Today, I'll take on a better heartitude by looking for things to be thankful for. I won't care if they seem small or insignificant. I'll still be grateful, and I'll let that gratefulness shape my heart and attitude. I pray I can keep this attitude before God, even when things get cloudy or complicated. I'll make gratitude a choice today and watch it change my heart, my disposition, and my life. I'm thankful I can trust Him for one more day. Will you join me?

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