“Practice makes perfect.” We hear that from athletes, rock stars, tradesmen, and even the guy down the street as he flies by on his longboard. The fact is, in our new life in recovery this principle is true as well. One of the slogans we hear often is, “progress not perfection”. One area where it’s significant to practice and progress is in being grateful and appreciating all that we have, rather than fretting about what we do not have.
There will always be some things right and some things that are yet to be sorted out in our lives. Some days we will wake up feeling energetic and other days we’ll just wish we could pull the blanket over our heads and turn over. Things aren’t so different around us from day to day but what makes life full and rich is when we are conscious of the good that God is pouring into our lives.
What can we be grateful for on any given day? Here are a few promises from Psalm 118: 1. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. (v1)
2. In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered me and set me free. (v5)
3. The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me? (v6)
4. My enemies did their best to kill me, but the Lord rescued me. (v13)
5. The Lord is my strength and my song; he has given me victory. (v14)
6. This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. (v24)
(Psalm 118:1, 5-6, 13-14, 24 NLT)
It’s good to intentionally record in a journal or speak out our gratitude on a daily basis. What gratitude discipline have I built into my life or need to do in order to make gratitude part of my life plan?
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