The aftermath of a mind that is wrapped around the practice of gratitude breeds peace and contentment that can withstand any storm. It strengthens our faith, as we trust His call to be content and give thanks, no matter our circumstance. The choice – our willingness to choose joy and thankfulness despite the waves that are threatening to overtake us – despite the annoyances we face throughout our everyday lives – displays courage and resilience. It is a shield, protecting our hearts and our minds from our own deceiving emotions that may feel like truth, but are in fact laced with the negativity and lies of this world. Gratitude and joy have packaged themselves together to offer us freedom that transcends all of our anxieties, worries, and negativity towards ourselves and others, and even towards our unwanted circumstances. True, everlasting joy lies within the everyday practice of gratitude.

The idea of being filled to the brim with joy and a heart full of gratitude is a lovely idea. Freedom, peace, strength – those are words and ideas that appeal to our broken souls. We crave to find peace, but when we hit rough waters, we find that most of the time our immediate reaction is to jump ship. We say that we would go to the ends of this earth to seek freedom from what we struggle with most: addictions, pain, the opinions of others, worry. But, when given the opportunity to step into that freedom, we hesitate – not believing in the One who has given us the key to freedom, convincing ourselves we aren’t strong enough. Soon, we are filled with this regret that speaks to our souls one word:  Failure. We failed, we suck, this is too hard, we can’t do it, we failed again.  All of these things hold one simple truth within them – they are choices. 

We are given the keys to peace, we are handed our answer to freedom, we are instructed to be thankful – but if we do not choose to put these pretty ideas into practice, it is utterly pointless. We can post on our Instagram stories and share inspiring quotes on Facebook all day, but if we do not make the choice to transfer those words into action – it holds no significant value. 

Gratitude and joy are a mindset. They are a choice we have to make consistently every single day. They are a path we have to fight to stay on because the troubles of this world are going to come for us. I wish I could tell you that life with Jesus is a walk in the park, a band-aid for every problem or pain. The truth of the matter is – even the cruel intentions of this world came ruthlessly for Jesus Himself. The darkness threw its daggers His way, again and again, through nasty people, through the attempt of doubt and fear, through physical pain on the cross. Jesus endured every single emotion and every ultimate pain that we encounter through this life. A life spent following Jesus does not guarantee physical comfort, nor does it promise that we will never face hardships and deep pain. A life spent with Jesus requires us to fight for the things He wants so desperately to give us, but with His divine strength, not our own. A life spent with Jesus means that despite the unwanted circumstances, despite the earth-shattering heartbreaks, and despite the physical ailments, we can withstand the storm simply because He is the One holding us up.

A mind obsessed with practicing gratitude and joy is a mind that can stand strong against life’s hardest battles. I am a firm believer that you cannot glorify the God you say you serve and have your mouth drip with disdain and negativity. You cannot live a life worthy of the calling you’ve been given and go through each day with a heart gripped by anxiety and worry. You cannot proclaim to worship Jesus and at the same time be ruled by comparison and the opinions of others. Your thoughts and your words are a choice, and they hold more power than you may realize. You don’t get to tell other people how great your God is, and then live a life of inconsistency, complacency, and laziness. Jesus isn’t looking for people with pretty Instagrams, full of pretty words. He’s looking for people who choose to persevere despite how difficult and bleak their circumstances seem. He’s looking for Warriors. 

If you are choosing to think and speak negatively about yourself or someone else, you are setting yourself up to take on a victim mentality that you were never created to remotely come close to. The second you decide to open the door to that victim mindset is the second you forfeit the divine power given to you by Jesus to be used in this world. The victim mentality serves as a solid breeding ground for toxic behaviors which then turns you into a toxic person. And let’s all be painfully honest with each other – no one wants to be around a toxic person. 

Now, I am not telling you that it’s not okay to have bad days. It is more than okay to get frustrated and sad, and have days where you come home feeling depleted and overwhelmed. It is okay to cry and scream and get mad at your circumstances. It’s okay to worry and become anxious about the unknown, to be terrified of what’s next. It’s okay to look up at the sky and let out a few profanities and wonder what in the heck God is doing. What’s not okay is when you stay in that place. What’s not okay is when you allow these thoughts and emotions to become the very pattern in which you choose to live your life. There have been too many times in my own life where I have chosen to sit in this place, and it has crippled my ability to experience what the Lord was trying to teach me through that unwanted season. When those feelings creep in, when those thoughts start to become an everyday pattern, it’s time to pick up your sword and choose the weapon of gratitude, which then transcends into a joy that cannot be beaten.

I’m speaking to myself as well because if there is one thing that has always been a silent battle of mine, it has been my war with gratitude and unconditional joy. My immediate reaction to unwanted circumstances, to any sort of minimal discomfort, whether it be physical or emotional, has been to freak out. I mean full on rage and ugly cry until my face hurts kind of freak out. If I’m not ugly crying, I’m consumed with the worry and negativity that the circumstance has brought. Those toxic thoughts soon turn into a pattern of trying to control the situation with my own imperfect hands. And pretty soon the entire thing leaves me scarred and wounded – by my own choices. How did it start? In my mind, with thoughts I allowed to dictate my actions. And here is the simple truth – I made the choice to be disobedient to the call to trust. I chose to focus on my negative circumstances instead of choosing joy and thankfulness. Whether I want to admit it to myself or not, I hold all the power to change this behavior – and so do you.

So, how do we begin to live a life where choosing joy and gratitude becomes a habit? We start by renewing our minds because this is where the battle begins. Romans 12 verse 2 says this,

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, 

but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 

Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is –

His good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Sisters, do not conform to the pattern of choosing misery, listening to the whisper in your ear from this world that it’s okay to stay there. You can choose not to be the victim! You can choose to step into your calling as a Warrior! And this starts by renewing your mind daily with His truth and His words that have the power to change your life. The second you start to feel your toxic thought patterns returning, guard your mind with the living, breathing Word of God. 

“Do not be anxious about anything, 

but in every situation, by prayer and petition, 

with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, 

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

Philippians 4:6-7

“Therefore, since we are receiving a Kingdom 

that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, 

and so worship God acceptably with 

reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”

Hebrews 12:28-29

“Rejoice always, pray continually, 

give thanks in all circumstances; 

for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

It can be hard to hear a pep talk like this, but I’ve been convicted by this lately and wanted to share it with my fellow Warriors. We are called to practice the discipline of gratitude and joy. Life is undoubtedly hard! It can leave us on our backs with our breath knocked out from us. It can be painful and scary. There have been so many times I have become angry and asked God, “why?” There have been so many times I have chosen what is easier and remained in that place of “victim” because I didn’t want to be challenged. But every single time I chose what was easier, I was left empty and miserable. 

Here is the reality – there is earth-shaking freedom on the other side of that fight for thankfulness. There is a joy waiting for you and for me that cannot be taken away from us. We get to experience Jesus in a whole new way when we train ourselves to intentionally look for His blessings all over our days and all over our unwanted circumstances. 

Here’s another simple truth that none of us like to hear, but need to:  this process will require a whole lot of failure on our part, and a whole lot of grace on His. We are going to screw this up. That’s the blunt truth. We are broken people who carry around our own baggage in a very broken world.  But that’s exactly what makes this process so awe-inspiringly beautiful. We get to rely completely on a God who is all of who we could never be. I promise you this – if you choose to meet Him halfway – if you choose to put the work in and show up consistently – He will give you the grace required to make gratitude and joy a way of life. If you choose to persevere and don’t quit when things get hard, He will show up every single time and rock your world! All He asks of you is this – show up and give Him everything you’ve got. 

So, Warriors, pick up your swords of gratitude and let’s fight together to battle those negative thoughts that threaten our God-given strength. We can do this! Not because we are great, but because we serve a God that loves us far too much to let us settle for anything less than His very best.