{"id":347,"date":"2024-10-27T23:55:06","date_gmt":"2024-10-27T23:55:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/?p=347"},"modified":"2024-10-27T23:55:06","modified_gmt":"2024-10-27T23:55:06","slug":"in-every-thing-give-thanks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/2024\/10\/27\/in-every-thing-give-thanks\/","title":{"rendered":"In every thing give thanks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">After a week of debilitating exhaustion, on the first day of looking up and feeling normal and healthy, I am singing: <em>My heart is filled with thankfulness \u2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/IMG_1027-1.jpeg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"480\" height=\"640\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/IMG_1027-1.jpeg?resize=480%2C640\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-349\" style=\"width:344px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/IMG_1027-1.jpeg?w=480&amp;ssl=1 480w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/IMG_1027-1.jpeg?resize=225%2C300&amp;ssl=1 225w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">For the past month, I posted on Facebook a record of one thing for which I was grateful each day. The discipline proved invaluable. It all began with a sermon on 1 Thessalonians 5:18 preached on World Gratitude Day in September. Although I announced that I would do it, I had reservations about whether I could keep it up. Days are busy, and by evening, I might be too tired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/IMG_2219-scaled.jpeg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"584\" height=\"294\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/IMG_2219.jpeg?resize=584%2C294\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-352\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/IMG_2219-scaled.jpeg?resize=1024%2C515&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/IMG_2219-scaled.jpeg?resize=300%2C151&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/IMG_2219-scaled.jpeg?resize=768%2C386&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/IMG_2219-scaled.jpeg?resize=1536%2C772&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/IMG_2219-scaled.jpeg?resize=2048%2C1030&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/IMG_2219-scaled.jpeg?resize=500%2C251&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/IMG_2219-scaled.jpeg?w=1168 1168w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/IMG_2219-scaled.jpeg?w=1752 1752w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 584px) 100vw, 584px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">The company on that occasion was august indeed. It included ones such as the mayor and the chairman of Churches Together, clergy and counsellors, the MP was represented, and so on. If I was doing it for them, the benefit was undoubtedly mine. Every day, I discovered innumerable causes of thanksgiving and had to choose one to share publicly. How true the once-popular hymn: <em>Count your many blessings, name them one by one\u2026 and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">It has been refreshing to the heart to look studiously for the good things in life. It puts a spring in the step and positivity in the mind. After only thirty-one days, I can hardly stop reflecting on everything that is to be valued in the world about me, in the people around me and even in my own soul. So, why would I want to turn to a negative take on life? Why would I choose to cease to experience appreciation of all things?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-8f761849 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color has-link-color has-medium-font-size wp-elements-e05cd03c1859d81476c56c54510d526d wp-block-paragraph\">Very wise and right are the words of the Apostle Paul:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-vivid-red-color has-text-color has-link-color has-medium-font-size wp-elements-eadf93c62ca9a5542be04e3c47dcf7cb wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\"><div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/IMG_1040.jpeg\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/IMG_1040.jpeg?w=584\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-357\" style=\"width:203px;height:auto\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After a week of debilitating exhaustion, on the first day of looking up and feeling normal and healthy, I am singing: My heart is filled with thankfulness \u2026 For the past month, I posted on Facebook a record of one &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/2024\/10\/27\/in-every-thing-give-thanks\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":349,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":false,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-347","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-personal"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/IMG_1027-1.jpeg?fit=480%2C640&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2d1Zf-5B","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=347"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":364,"href":"https:\/\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/347\/revisions\/364"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/349"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=347"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=347"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gopher-ark.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=347"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}