“O give thanks unto the LORD, for He is good; for His mercy endureth forever.” ~1 Chronicles 16:34

I am 3/4 of the way through a business trip with my family and then I plan to take some trips to visit friends and family. I left on July 5 and don’t know when I will be home yet. Most likely, the first part of September.

After being on the road for several weeks, having two back-to-back conferences and two churches so far, with not a lot of time to rest in between, I have been thankful for the strength God has given, a reminder of how far I have come in my journey with fatigue.

Often, we fail to see God’s hand at work in our lives and, as a result, we do not give Him the praise that He deserves. Just like a manager hears more complaints about his company’s service than praise for a job done well, so God receives more requests (and even blame) when things are going badly than thanksgiving for His merciful deeds. I would suggest that this ratio should be reversed.

Life is not always easy, but I still maintain that most people can find something to praise God for if they but take the time to look around. Then again, maybe that is the problem. We are so busy running this rat race that we neglect to pause and reflect on God’s goodness to us and our families.

I will continue to hammer this message because until we turn our focus from ourselves onto God and His goodness, our joy will never be full. Happiness will be a result of our circumstances which will cause depression to run more rampant than it already does.

I encourage you again this week to count your blessings. Write them down. Think of at least one a day and take time to thank God for it. Tell your family what you are thankful for. This may encourage them to follow suit. Let’s make sure there are more blessings coming out of our mouths than grumblings. May God truly be glorified in our lives.