"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5: 16 - 18

      In the early days of the settlement of the West in the United States, travellers encountered considerable difficulty. One party of pioneers on the Oregon Trail had suffered greatly from a scarcity of water and grass. Some of the wagons had broken down, causing delays in the stifling heat. Along with these adverse circumstances came a general feeling of fretfulness. Optimism and cheer were gone.

      In the early days of the settlement of the West in the United States, travellers encountered considerable difficulty. One party of pioneers on the Oregon Trail had suffered greatly from a scarcity of water and grass. Some of the wagons had broken down, causing delays in the stifling heat. Along with these adverse circumstances came a general feeling of fretfulness. Optimism and cheer were gone.

      The next night a meeting was called for the purpose of airing their complaints. When they had gathered around the campfire, one of them arose and said, "Before we do anything else, I think we should first thank God that we have come this far with no loss of life, with no serious trouble from those outside our camp, and that we have enough strength left to finish our journey."

      After the prayer, there was silence. No one had any grievances which he felt were important enough to voice. Thankfulness often transforms a grumbling spirit into one of contentment, enabling us to see the many mercies of God that we ordinarily would overlook. As a magnet drawn through the sand picks up particles of iron, so a grateful heart finds some God-given blessing in every hour of distress.

      Today, you may be experiencing frustrations and difficulties that tend to make you complain. As the burdens rest heavily upon you, and the temptation to murmur increases, take time to thank God for His enduring mercies. In counting your blessings you will find that thankfulness will transform your attitude of pessimism to that of praise.

      The sure cure for depression is praise!

In all things give thanks,
Floyd McPhee