“Thankfulness is a choice that we make. It’s just as real as any other decision.”

A though by James MacDonald (2015-06-18) from his book, Lord, Change My Attitude: Before It's Too Late (p. 63). Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title of the book to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

It really is, isn’t it? And it can be a life changing decision for us today?

James says, “The psalmist wrote, ‘Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord.’ By men, of course, he meant men and women— mankind.”

Now there is a very important word there in that verse. James says, “Notice the verse says would because if it said could— ‘Oh, that men could give thanks to the Lord’— well, then the ball would be in God’s court, wouldn’t it? And we would be free to say things like, ‘It’s Your fault, God; if I could give thanks, then I would. If You hadn’t made me so negative; if You hadn’t made me so selfish; but I am, so I can’t, but I would if I could, but You didn’t, so I can’t, so … whatever.’ But it doesn’t say could, it says would, so the choice is ours.”

He then says, “’Oh, that men would …’ This means ‘we have the technology’— God has made us with the capacity to express gratitude. It’s a choice that we make. What a critical, happiness-inducing choice it really is! You can choose your attitude of gratitude as much as you can choose your diet or your underwear.”

And that choice will make a difference in how you view your day. James says, “We really have so much to be thankful for. Did the sun come up again this morning? Do you have another day to live for the glory of God? Then there is plenty to focus on for thanksgiving. You say, ‘Yeah, but there’s plenty to focus on and complain about, too.’ My point exactly. We have a decision to make.”

I am in a Mall writing this and I was in a quiet place until a group of children and their mothers came and took all the spaces around so I got up and let them also have my seat. Now I had a choice. Of course I could have been annoyed and walked away with an attitude or I could have been thankful for the excitement and vitality of those kids and for those mothers who were having a fun time with their kids. I chose to be thankful and that sure made a difference in me.

So how is your day going?

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