“Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe.” – Philippians 2:14-15

I have a friend who is a complete ball of sunshine. Literally, as soon as she sees me, she comes straight for me, throws her arms around me and says, “Heyyyyyyyyyy! You look so beautiful!” (And this is no matter how I look.) In the years that I’ve known her, I can honestly say I have never heard her say a complaining word. She has had a difficult past, one with divorce, infertility, substance abuse and financial instability. But you would never know that when you spend any amount of time with her. You see, she understands about forgiveness, God’s unconditional love for her and the fact that she is His child. She lives a life of gratitude because He saved her from her past life. She has chosen to be Jesus to the people around her.

Wow, by just accomplishing this one verse each day, we could be a huge influence on our family and friends. Why is it that sometimes my first response is to complain when something doesn’t satisfy my immediate want or need? Because I’ve forgotten who my caretaker is. Because I started focusing on myself, I forgot that God, the Creator of the entire Universe, has blessed me in tremendous ways with family, friends, food on the table, a comfortable home, and an eternal life with him. Once we stop counting our blessings, we become ungrateful and begin complaining.

Can you go today living out this verse? Let’s try together! Name a blessing each day this week and thank God all day for that blessing. Have a grateful week!

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