Gratitude is the antidote to pain

I don’t know the pain of real suffering. Most of the time, I confuse my heartaches with suffering. Yet, I have never endured one battle without the Lord by my side. I have never gone through something tough on my own. The moment life gets the least bit uncomfortable for me, I cry out to the Lord for His help.

Even amid hard seasons, God comforts me. I am never alone to endure any of it on my own. And yet I find small, insignificant things to complain about each day. This morning, I got a little glimpse of my life and how the Lord has blessed me throughout my life, and it made me ashamed for every time I have complained.

I have never sat down at my table with nothing to eat. I have never been cold without a way to get warm. I have never been sick without a way to get medical help. I have never lived in a world without freedom. I have never been in real danger and feared for my life. I have never been alone.

Most of my pain has been created in my mind by my thoughts. I have created the majority of my discomfort with my illusions. I have believed the lies of my enemy and followed after him instead of my Lord. The enemy will lead us away from the Lord and fill our minds with illusions of hardships. He will create a real tragedy in our lives if we allow it.

Gratitude is the antidote to pain. Therefore, I want to focus on the good in my life. When I look for the blessings in my life, then I can always find them. We create our lives by what we choose to believe.

Romans 8:28 (KJV)

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

This is one of my favorite verses in the Bible. Therefore when I am struggling with my circumstances, I ask God to give me the right perspective. When I have the right mindset, then I can praise God for each hardship and through each storm.

Photo by Brigitte Tohm on Unsplash

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