Obstacles to Gratitude

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Do you want to increase the level of gratitude in your home, marriage and relationships?

 

In the previous post we talked about the terrible cost of ingratitude and how it effects our lives. I asked readers to identify if they were living with the effects of ingratitude? Is it yourself that tends to respond negatively to circumstances? We asked the question, how can a person practice being grateful?

 

Here are two ways to increase gratitude in your life.

 

Reduce Gratitudes Opposition.

Gratitude is a condition of the heart. I find when I am harboring unforgiveness, bitterness or wounded feelings, I slide into ingratitude. When I feel ignored, slighted, overwhelmed or unappreciated, I tend to live out of those feelings.

Our heart is the filter which gratefulness first touches. All of these negative feelings create obstacles for gratitude to survive. The good news is;  your heart is yours. You may choose with what you would like it full of. Practicing gratitude helps us to see where we need to work on our heart.

If you have a deficit of gratitude there could be pain that is keeping you from being free to give kind and loving words to those you love. Don’t live there a second longer than you already have. Begin by journaling your feelings. Ask your self do these feeling match the situation or is there a larger underlying cause? Seek out the root of this pain. If this has been a long standing condition, it is time to call in help.

I had a period two years ago where I was in so much emotional pain I needed to speak to someone. There is nothing wrong with needing perspective. There is power in speaking about your situation out loud to another person. Not a gripe session, but truth about your pain and fears. Pain and sorrow are destroyers of joy. Don’t lose another day, don’t let one more pass, where you are robbed of kind words for those you love because of the past.

 

Acknowledge Your Limitations.

I am a Mother. I am a wife. You may be a Father or a single woman, an executive or a dish washer, but we all have a unique place in this life. You can accomplish much. You can obtain accolades and power. You can change jobs and wives, but no matter what you obtain on the outside you will always be you looking back in the mirror at you.

Look well and get to know who you truly are. Seek the truth about your heart, your ambitions, your dreams, and choose the things in life that bring you joy. I have big dreams and goals, and a family of 12. I choose gratitude when I recognize that those goals are going to come at a much slower pace then those of a single young woman. If I ignore my limitations I will cost myself joy.

What you perceive is limiting you today, could be your greatest asset. The people in our life are a gift to us. They ALL show us where we need to grow. They all show us that we need to be dependable and flexible, that we need to be honest and brave. They reveal to us our need for growth, love and acceptance.

Are you limited by lack of tools, skills, or education? Acknowledging your need, allows you to shift from a place of frustration to gratefulness. Begin to look for opportunities to grow in those areas.

What are you frustrated about, take some time to ask yourself why? Is there a limitation you are exceeding, an area you need to build on or communication that needs to improve?

What actions can you take today that can increase your gratitude?

Paige Yelle has a great little Gratitude Journal on her site. They would make a great gift or you could stuff you stocking with one.

I hope you know that you are loved and accepted by a good and loving God, who wants the very best things for you. If all of your attempts at gratefulness have failed and you find that there is a place you can not fill, it might be your time to yield to the call of God on your heart?

Getting to know God’s love for you is the single most direct path to increasing your gratitude and joy. Read the book of John in the Bible and start getting to know your story today.