The common theme in my two books, “The Gift of a Dozen Reasons” and its sequel, “The Gift of a Dozen More”, is gratitude. In gratitude, we glorify God for all He’s done for us, and He in turn fills our hearts with true joy. In gratitude, we find peace in various trials.

When we are hurting, it’s easy to forget all we have to be grateful for. The claim that I make in my two books is that we have reasons all around us to be grateful; all we have to do is walk outside.

All of creation is made with beauty and purpose—especially you and I. This purpose is one to prosper us, to fulfill us, and most importantly to glorify our Creator, God. We are never without our Lord right beside us, even when we are hurting, especially when we are hurting. Through our faith, we look forward to eternal life with our loved ones and most importantly our Father, God. These are some of my favorite reasons to be grateful.

Gratitude has gotten me through some of my darkest times, and it wasn’t always an easy choice. Thankfully though, it was a choice; gratitude is always a choice just as faith is a choice. It’s about choosing to live your life a certain way and waking up each and every day making that same choice time and time again, day in and day out.

It’s easy to be grateful when our lives are going smoothly. It’s in our trials, we are put to the test. Will we continue to worship? Will we continue to glorify God? Will we continue to be grateful? Do you love God just for what He can do for you, or do you love God for what He’s already done? These are the questions you need to ask yourself before determining if you truly have a heart for God and a heart of gratitude. Gratitude isn’t based on circumstances; it’s a heart posture and always a choice.

It took the Israelites 40 years to reach the promised land because they were found grumbling and complaining. When we complain, often times we are delaying what God has for us. It’s in surrender, in obedience, in gratitude, we position ourselves to receive the gifts God has in store. We position ourselves to experience true joy as well as true peace.

Gratitude gives birth to joy and peace. When we live life to glorify our Creator, we can know true joy. In spite of our losses, when we make the choice to be grateful for what hasn’t been lost as well as what can never be lost, we find peace.