Praise

Praise is something I've done often. Many times it was out of sense of obligation that as a Christian I need to praise God for the blessings He's given me in my life. Often when I have felt the lowest spiritually I will try to keep my longings for change and petitions to myself, and focus on praising God, but it often feels fake. However lately I have come to feel that my circumstances and life are completely out of my control right now. I'm in a holding pattern. Therefore, I feel like the more I think about it and what I can't change the more I begin to obsess and become ungrateful and often blind to what God has already blessed me with. I feel like I shouldn't be ungrateful. I also have recently felt that by not taking the time to recognize and acknowledge these blessings I'm being ungrateful. I know that my faith isn't about all the good things that I can get from God. Obviously struggle is necessary , but I believe that there is something so powerful about thanking God for the non material things, the little things in life that I normally would not consider as a gift from God. I believe that I have missed many of these moments in my life, but I think that for my true spiritual growth, I must be conscience about God working through the everyday seemingly unimportant details. In these small parts of life I hope to find and maintain a joyful spirit.
This is partially inspired by the book One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp which I'm waiting to receive and read. I also read an entry from Frances J. Roberts book Come Away My Beloved entitled "Learn to Reign" where she writes. "Praise Me, O y People Praise Me Praise me out of a  heart full of love. Praise me for every blessing and victory. Yea, and Praise me when the most difficult thing to do is to Praise. This is the victory that overcometh the world, even your faith and praise is the voice of faith." (168).