Attitude of Gratitude

News headlines have been flooded with catastrophic stories. Murder, rape, theft, abuse, car accidents, plane crashes, bomb explosions, earthquakes, deadly disease.... the list goes on. It's been overwhelmingly depressing for me to keep up to date with current affairs. I just feel like the world is a ticking bomb and in each devastating news report the bomb is one second closer to exploding! Last week, I even threatened to go "ostrich" on the world - bury my head in scripture about the glory to come, stop following the news and stop talking to people. But then, my senses soon returned and I remembered that life goes on, whether I chose to partake in it or not.

So instead of getting caught up in the misfortunes of a broken world or going "ostrich" I have decided to adopt an attitude of gratitude. This means that I'll focus more of my energies on being thankful for the many blessings in my life, which often go unnoticed. Below are 5 things that I'm thankful for. I hope you find them encouraging:

1. Life- this may seem cliche, but too many days have gone by where I have not thanked God for the extended time He's blessed me with to do His will here on earth. 
2. God's grace - His grace reminds me what a wretch I am without Jesus and spurs me on to live for Him. It also humbles me when my "good" deeds cloud my selfish intentions.
3. My parents - I seem to forget what a privilege it is to have God-fearing parents who love me and genuinely want the best for me
4. Honest friends - Not all of my friends have the courage to rebuke me when I do wrong. I'm thankful for the ones who do because it is a true act of love... not just love for me, but love for God.
5. Conversations with strangers - Most days when I talk to a complete stranger I'm left with a smile on my face, and for that I'm thankful.