I will be thankful!

Hey dear friends/family! I've restarted Monday Manna again after an extremely extended xmas/new years break (we did move from Brisbane to Gold Coast though and we spent last week at the Great Ocean Road for Wayne's charity cycle www.25000spins.com   - Craig did an amazing job organising this again).

A verse that stood out to me yesterday:

"Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul would almost have settled into the silence of darkness.

When I said, "My foot is slipping,' Your mercy, oh Lord, held me up.

In the multitude of my thoughts and anxieties, your comforts delight and cheer my soul."

Psalms 94:17-19

We often kind of run on 'automatic', dealing with things our old way, the way we know best. But God has a better way..He wants to teach us new things, so that we can experience greater joy, peace and fulfillment in our life. He wants to enlarge our hearts and our perspective on life. He wants to free us from the little things that rob us off peace and joy each day. Though God has a specific plan for our lives, I know that something He wants for each of us is to have a new attitude in life so that even though we might still be doing the same job/work and having the same relationships, it will all be transformed by having God's love, patience, strength and wisdom living in us. One of the things that God is helping me to 'relearn' is to be free from a complaining attitude.  I am so used to complaining and being stressed out and I do tend to exaggerate things and be dramatic. I was really challenged by what I read in an amazing autobiography recently (check it out, you can read a short bio about Nick Vujicic, who is one of two people in the world to survive being born with tetra-amelia, a condition that causes you to be born without limbs: http://www.lifewithoutlimbs.org/    ... you can also order his book online).

In his book, Nick says, (paraphrased) "If you complain to others, at best they will pity you and at worst, they will try to avoid your company."  Do we want to inspire pity in others or hope and faith?

Considering that we can claim for ourselves the advantage of having the God of the Universe as our personal Saviour and Helper each day, is there really reason to complain? 

"Be anxious for nothing but pray about everything, with thanksgiving." Philippians 4:6 and 7 (abridged).

Even in the most difficult circumstances, we can have a transforming positive attitude by saying to God, "Thank you that I know you care, thank you that I know you will help me to get through this without losing my faith. Thank you that this is making my character more like Yours- thank you that you are preparing me  to live in Your Heavenly courts above!"

Next time I want to complain to someone, I'm going to strive to turn to God instead and pour out my worries and concerns to Him. Though my circumstance might not change, I know that the power of a positive attitude/perspective will transform the situation for me.  Nick is an incredibly inspiring example of that! 

God bless and have a happy week!