A thankful "Attitude"....

Living with a thankful heart is one thing. To me that means that when good things happen to you, you're the type of person that will immediately be thankful for it. You will recognize the goodness in your life and express your gratefulness. However, I think living with a thankful attitude is a little bit different. This is a place that God has brought me back to again and again.
If your a Christian and a blessing comes into your life, most of the time you don't have a problem giving God the glory for it and recognizing where the blessing came from. We know ALL blessings come from God, plain and simple. (James 1:17) However, what if the thing that God wants you to be grateful for does not look like a blessing? What if it was His correction in your life? What if it was Him keeping you from something because He knows it will not be good for you? What if it was something that you know you personally desired, but He did not desire it for you? What if the answer to the prayer was, "no"? Could you still boast of His goodness and truly be thankful? To me this is the difference between having a thankful heart, and living in an attitude of thankfulness. Meaning, that because you know God wants the best for you...all the time, then when you get told no, or when He exposes something ugly inside of you or in your life, you thank Him for it. Again, this is a place God has kept me in for most of 2014. And to be honest, I want to stay in this place forever. I have had God expose some ugly things inside of me and I have dropped to my knees and said "thank you". I began to pray about a year ago for God to provide "direction and correction" in my life. Well you can't pray for correction and not expect to be corrected. And when I know that I am going through something as part of that correction process, I thank Him for it. Yes, it may not be easy and it may even "sting" a little as I'm going through it, but that is when I stop and think "He loves me this much! He will not just let me wonder off. He loves me enough to keep pulling me back to Him. Even when I don't make it easy". He loves each of us that much!
Living in and attitude of thankfulness means that when life feels like it did for the Egyptians...where it isn't great, but you know He is taking you someplace greater. It isn't perfect, but you know He is working out His perfect will for you. It isn't everything you hoped or wanted, but at this time of your life He is providing what you "need"....not just giving you what you want! And when you can express gratitude toward Him during those times, image how much you will praise Him when He showers you with blessings. And He will! I fully believe that when God sees us being thankful even in the tough "correction" times, He honors that by blessing you. He is a good good God! And it pleases Him when we show Him, and tell others, just how good He is....no matter what is going on in our lives.
I know God has a beautiful future in store for me. There may be a bend in the road that is stopping me from seeing what all He has for me right now, but I trust Him. And I know that when He gets me to the place where I am prepared to turn that corner, He will honor that I have thanked Him for the hard times and the times of correction. As long as I am praying His will over my life and following where He leads me I cannot go wrong. And I will praise and thank Him for everything I go through that gets me where He wants to take me.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 says "In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you". Now I have never claimed to be a bible scholar, but I'm pretty sure what God means there is EVERYTHING. The good, the bad, the easy and the hard times....give thanks!
God, shape and mold us so we can walk in a constant attitude of thankfulness. Help us not float from one blessing to another, only giving you praise when something good happens. But instead let us see Your beautiful work in our lives at all times. We are sorry Lord that we have not always given You thanks for everything, but today we declare that we are going to change that. You are God, and You are always worthy of our praise and thankfulness. In Jesus name, Amen.