By Benescke Janse van Rensburg

A woman recently told me what a shock it was for the whole family the day her mother was diagnosed with cancer. As she became weaker, she fell deeper and deeper into the dark hole of depression. Her family knew they had to intervene, but they did not know how to do it. After hearing about the concept of a Grateful Journal, this woman decided to give it a go for her mother.

As adult children, they sat down with her mother and handed her the journal. Their "assignment" to her was to write down at least one thing daily which she is grateful for. It could be anything - big or small. As time progressed, they clearly could sense a change in the way their mother looked at life.

After her mother’s death, they had to go and pack up her house. Here she found the Gratitude Journal. She tells how she sat and cried as she flipped through the book. Some days her mother literally just wrote down one thing that she was grateful for. For instance, that her child came to visit or that she was able to sit in the sun for a few minutes. Other days, her mother was clearly in a good place as she then wrote down a lot of things she was grateful for.

The woman's conclusion was that gratitude is the antidote to depression, dissatisfaction and any other dark emotion that may threaten to overwhelm us.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 we read: “... give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

When we choose gratitude, we choose to look for the beautiful, good, and positive things God places around us daily. In such moments, it is as if God's light is beginning to drive away the darkness that wants to overwhelm us.

Let's get that journal and make it a habit to choose gratitude daily. There is always something to be thankful for! God bless.

Father God thank you very much that I belong to You. Please help me remove my negative glasses and see You around me. Help me to live gratefully. I ask this in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

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