When Problems Compound

One of the great gifts from my Dad was the discipline to write each day in a gratitude journal. At NBC Camps, we say daily habits reveal our future success. What are the habits I need for my life? One of the biggest is the discipline to take each problem and say thank you. The other day there was one irritating experience after another—a family member lost their keys and needed a few hours worth of help, the cat was ill, there were more phone calls at work than normal, and I got lost going to a new location—I usually only have one of these issues a day but not multiple aggravations in a short span of time. Dad taught me when this happens, to stop and begin to praise God—something is happening that is beyond our understanding. Instead of giving in to anger or irritation, he told me to choose joy, choose peace, and praise God for the difficulty and the aggravation—there is something at work, and our job is to praise the Lord.

“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.” – Colossians 3:15