August 20, 2025 • 36 mins
In this episode, we dive into what we call The Great Gratitude Reset. We talk about how gratitude isn’t just a nice feeling—it’s a daily practice that changes our minds, our health, and our spiritual outlook. Science is finally confirming what the Bible has been saying all along: gratitude reduces anxiety, strengthens our bodies, helps us rest better, and gives us resilience during tough seasons. We’ve both seen this in our own lives. Christina shares how gratitude keeps her grounded throughout her cancer journey, while Heidi shares how practicing thankfulness sustains her as she walks alongside a close friend in illness. Gratitude has become more than a concept for us—it’s been a lifeline.
We also share some very practical ways to begin, even if gratitude feels out of reach. One of our favorites is the “Lord I love” exercise, which is as simple as naming small things—like trees, a gentle touch, or even probiotic gummies—and letting those small steps open the door to bigger ones. This isn’t about shallow positivity or empty affirmations. It’s about anchoring ourselves in God’s goodness and allowing His perspective to shape ours. Romans 12 reminds us that our minds are renewed in Him, and gratitude is a key part of that renewal. We invite you to try these practices with us and see how even the smallest acts of thankfulness can reset your heart and perspective.
Learn more about our Revelation Within Community: https://www.revelationwithin.org
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
Hi and welcome to our podcast, revelation Within On
the Go.
I'm Heidi Biles-Mapperson, oneof your hosts and the owner and
lead coach of theRevelationWithinorg ministry.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
And I'm Christina Motley, your other host, also a
Revelation Within coach andHeidi's partner in all things
Revelation Within, and we are sohappy to invite you to join us
for today's episode ofRevelation Within On the Go.
Come on in, put your feet up.
(00:39):
We are so glad you're here.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Yeah, sit right on down, let your hair down, grab a
favorite beverage.
A favorite beverage.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
You're sounding more and more Southern every day.
What's going on?
Speaker 1 (00:54):
I couldn't tell you Mind renewal.
We love renewing our minds andwe love the way God uses it to
transform us.
Romans 12 is so awesome.
It's true, we are transformedas we renew our minds, and so
how many tools would you say wehave for mind renewal now?
Speaker 2 (01:15):
You know, we probably have.
Well, definitely over a hundred.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Oh yeah, that was a couple of years ago.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Yeah, we have really a lot, and I love that you asked
me to look at them the otherday, heidi, because there were
some that I had to kind ofrefresh my memory.
We got to do some work on those, I think.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
I think you're right.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
You know, write them out and get them updated, and
and boy, they are so life-giving, so fabulous.
I don't want to miss a singleone.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Absolutely.
And this month, the month ofAugust, we are focusing in our
RevWithinteam community ongratitude.
We pick a theme every month andthis month, the month of August
, we have picked the greatgratitude reset and we're just
going to focus on gratitude allmonth.
(02:07):
Now that may sound kind ofho-hum, boring for some people,
but I tell you what you havenever seen gratitude done Like
we do it at Revelation, withinwe do it so well, don't we?
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Yes, but I love that title, heidi, because you put
reset in the title and I need toreset with gratitude.
I am so excited.
I know what comes from aregular practice of gratitude.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Yeah, me too I know what comes.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
You know what comes and we love it.
It changes your whole life.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
It does, it really does.
Years ago, I got to speak at aretreat about gratitude and I
just remember even back then itwas like wow, there's so much to
it.
So we're going to talk aboutgratitude here today on our
podcast and if you're hearingthis sometime in August, come on
over and dive in.
(03:03):
Wherever we are RevWithinteam,we would love to have you, or
you can go torevelationwithinorg and see some
description there about whatwe're up to in August or
whatever month you're hearingthis that is, we always update
it.
We let everybody know what we'redoing in our little private
community.
And you know the first month isfree, so how could you go wrong
(03:25):
?
If you don't like it at the endof the month you can say it's
not a good fit, don't bug meanymore.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Unsubscribe A whole month for free to check us out
and just kind of look around andsee what we're up to Right?
I just love it.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Yeah, so.
So, by way of review of ourentire ministry, christina, how
would you describe mind renewal?
What is mind renewal?
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Oh gosh, the renewing of the mind, something that I
didn't understand for a reallyreally long time.
Most of my adult life I reallydidn't get it or understand it
or know how to practice it, butreally all it is is thinking
God's thoughts after him.
That's what it is and it's likewell, how do I know what God is
(04:12):
thinking?
I don't know.
I don't know what he's thinking, but actually we do.
We have this big, beautifullove letter called the Bible
that God wrote to us, and it ischocked full of thousands of his
thoughts.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Yes, and that's not all.
But he says that those are hisown.
He gives his Holy Spirit too,so we have the mind of Christ.
It says in first Corinthians,2.16.
And so you know what we canknow, the thoughts of God.
And so really that know what wecan know, the thoughts of God.
And so really that's what we'redoing in the month of August,
is we're what are your thoughtsabout this circumstance or this
(04:54):
person?
And then we give gratitudebecause God has ordained that
person or that circumstance, orallowed it certainly.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Well, and there's one more piece to this that, to me,
is so, so, so, so important,and that is that we are free to
choose what we think.
Yay, we are free to choose.
We are free in Christ, we areredeemed.
We are free and I say that tomyself a lot, especially lately
(05:24):
I am free to choose what I thinkabout.
I am free, in this very moment,to choose God's thoughts rather
than my own thoughts, ratherthan the enemy's thoughts,
rather than the world or theculture's thoughts.
I am free to choose.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Right.
I am free to choose Right.
Proverbs 3, verses 5 and 6,tells us that my thoughts and
God's thoughts may be a littlebit different from one another,
and so I want to get in thepractice of thinking his
thoughts so that I more and moredefault to those thoughts.
So why do we place a premium onmind renewal, at Revelation
Within?
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Because mind renewal changes everything.
It changes your moments.
It changes your mornings andafternoons.
It changes the way you makedecisions.
It changes the way you respondto life and things that are
coming your way.
It really changes everything,because your mind is filled with
(06:27):
God's thoughts.
It changes your whole mindset,your whole outlook.
It's pretty amazing.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
It really is.
And you know, proverbs 3, 5,and 6 kind of sets up this, my
thoughts and God's thoughts, andhow they're different.
That's why it tells us, I think, in that passage trust in the
Lord with all your heart andlean not on your own
understanding.
All your ways acknowledge himand he will make your path
(06:56):
straight.
Because, left to my own devices, my interpretation is likely to
not be entirely accurate.
I am more likely to havetantrums and gripe and complain.
Right when I practice God'sthoughts, my perspective is
changed.
You know, it doesn't justchange my life, which it does,
(07:17):
but it changes my now, thisminute.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
You know, that reminds me somebody in my past I
don't remember who it was.
Somebody told me once Christina, it is easy to throw tantrums,
it's easy to gripe, it's easy tocomplain, it's easy to go down
that road, but it is so worth itto go to God and ask him what
(07:41):
his viewpoint is.
Ask him what his viewpoint is.
So I think of that sometimeswhen I'm in the middle of a kind
of a fit tantrum.
It's like you know what?
This is kind of the easy road.
It's our default as humans.
We just do it naturally.
But to go to God and say what doyou think about this?
(08:01):
And then intentionally thinkhis thoughts.
It takes intention, it takes alittle bit of time, but it will
change your life.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Definitely.
And you know, it's kind ofobvious that the church,
christians, generally encouragepeople to give gratitude to God
and so on.
But interestingly enough, itmay have taken 2000 years, but
finally the secular world isrecognizing what God has known
(08:33):
all along, what he created usfor, and that we are transformed
by thinking, his thoughts, therenewing of our minds.
So we have a couple of quotesfor you from some secular people
who are well known in the world.
These aren't people who areassociated with Christianity at
all, I don't know what theirbeliefs are necessarily, but the
(08:56):
first one is by the author of abook called Codependent no More
, and it's a very popular bookabout being freed from
codependence by melody beady.
She says gratitude unlocks thefullness of life it turns what
we have into enough and more.
(09:18):
It turns denial into acceptance,chaos to order, to clarity.
It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a
stranger into a friend.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Wow, that's beautiful .
Speaker 1 (09:35):
Isn't it?
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Yeah, definitely so.
And then from Dr Robert AEmmons, who is a PhD professor
of psychology at the Universityof California Davis, which is
close to Heidi, a leadingresearcher on gratitude and
well-being.
When people regularly cultivategratitude, they experience a
(09:58):
multitude of psychological,physical, interpersonal and
spiritual benefits.
Grateful people experiencehigher levels of positive
emotions, such as joy,enthusiasm, love, happiness and
optimism, and gratitude as adiscipline protects us from the
(10:19):
destructive impulses of envy,resentment, pulses of envy,
resentment, greed and bitterness, whoa.
People who experience gratitudecan cope more effectively with
everyday stress, show increasedresilience something we are all
looking for in the face oftrauma-induced stress, recover
(10:41):
more quickly from illness andenjoy a more robust physical
health as well.
Oh, my goodness, gracious.
That was a mouthful.
How fantastic.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Yeah, and in our community we are providing free
of charge, no additional charge,a digital the great gratitude
reset journal and his findings.
This Dr Emmons findings alsoincludes gratitude journaling.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
It's linked to 25% greater happiness, more sleep,
more exercise compared to thosewho don't practice it, and that
participants keeping gratitudejournals or writing gratitude
letters reported fewer physicalsymptoms, lower blood pressure,
better immune response andreduced depression.
That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
I mean, why do we think it's amazing?
It's God's design.
Yes, of course he's amazing.
A better immune response.
Are you kidding me?
That's fantastic, isn't it Allof this?
Speaker 1 (11:45):
is such good news.
It really is, of course.
Christian thinkers, authors,scholars.
They have been celebrating thepractice of gratitude for some
time.
Ann Voskamp, who many of us areaware of in the Christian world
says gratitude is not only aresponse to God.
In good times, it's the verylens through which we see
(12:08):
everything.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Yes, so true.
And then we have a quote fromDallas Willard Gratitude is not
merely about feeling thankful.
It is a form of knowledge, away of being deeply oriented to
reality.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
That's a cool way of looking at it, I love that, and
Henry Nowen says gratitude isnot a spontaneous response to
the worth of something.
It is the chosen, like you weresaying earlier, christina, the
chosen response to awareness ofGod's presence.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
Wow, Wow, the chosen response.
Wow, that's fantastic.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
And we can.
We can choose what we thinkabout.
We can choose our response.
What better way to respond thanwith God's thoughts about
things?
I mean, why would I want tothink my thoughts?
Speaker 2 (13:02):
Well, and I I want to just throw this in here real
quick we're not at allminimizing things that are hard,
that you're going through.
We're not saying oh, just sweepit all under the rug and put on
a smile and pretend you don'tfeel pain.
Or pretend, and just say I'mfine, I'm fine, we don't want to
do that at all.
No, but we want to beintentional about bringing
(13:23):
gratitude into the hard stuff aswell as the good stuff.
So definitely not minimizinganything that you're going
through, because we're goingthrough hard stuff too.
Heidi and I and we, we know howimportant it is to be able to
talk about those things and cryand share those things.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Right, right.
So, no matter what the world oreven what Christian scholars
say, though, we have the word ofGod telling us that giving
gratitude is a beautiful,wonderful thing.
So here are some of those.
Gratitude shifts our focus fromlack to abundance.
An example of where this istaught is Psalm 107, verse 1,
(14:09):
which kind of reminds us thatgratitude roots us in God's
unchanging goodness, especiallyin those seasons of uncertainty
or when we think things arepretty scarce.
This is what that verse says.
Psalm 107, verse 1 says givethanks to the Lord for he is
good and love endures forever.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
Oh and then?
Okay, Is there anyone out therewho is not going to need this?
Gratitude transforms anxietyinto peace.
I mean, that is amazing.
Do you know anyone right nowthat isn't having anxious
thoughts about something?
I mean, really there's a lot ofanxiety in this world right now
(14:50):
.
So Philippians 4, 6 through 7says Do not be anxious about
anything, but in everything, byprayer and supplication, with
thanksgiving, let your requestsbe made known to God, and the
peace of God will guard yourhearts.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
And it's not just any peace, it's God's peace and it
transcends all understanding.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
Yes, With something that we don't get, we don't get
it and we can't make it either.
Thanksgiving is not just tackedon, it's actually central.
When paired with prayer, itrecalibrates our inner world
toward peace.
And like Heidi said, that's notsomething that's conjured up
(15:41):
from here, something that we canmake up.
That's God's peace and there'snothing like it in the world.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
Right.
And yet another reason why wewant to practice gratitude is it
helps us stay spiritually awake, alert, aware.
And Colossians 4.2 sayscontinue steadfastly in prayer,
being watchful with thanksgiving.
I love that Paul ties gratitudeto spiritual awareness.
(16:08):
Yes, it's like gratitude iskeeping the light on while
waiting in the dark.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
That's profound Keeping the light on while
waiting in the dark.
I love that, Thank you.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Heidi, I love that true gratitude, true
God-inspired gratitude.
Thinking God's thoughts aboutcircumstances, situations,
people, whatever blows the socksoff of positive thinking.
Positive believism,declarations, affirmations,
whatever people out there aresaying this is going to make me.
(16:43):
You know, I do, too, have ahundred million dollars in my
bank account.
That's not rooted in truth.
Why would I want to positivebelieve my way and you know it
doesn't work that way?
No, that's not rooted in truth.
Why would I want to positivebelieve my way and you know it
doesn't work that way?
Speaker 2 (16:55):
No no.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
Well, and and if all of this doesn't convince you, we
have even more, in a nutshell,the benefits of gratitude when
we intentionally practicegratitude.
Again, some of these aresummary statements, some of
these are kind of expanding thethought a little bit.
Improves our mental healthGratitude has been linked to
(17:20):
reducing symptoms of depressionand anxiety and promoting a more
positive outlook on life.
Have you seen that, christina,where when you're practicing
gratitude it does, it gives youa better outlook on life, but
when you stop for some reason,maybe you never stop.
So maybe I should use myself,cause I do.
(17:47):
I go in and out of seasons whereI'm renewing my mind and
actively practicing gratitude ornot, and boy, it changes
everything.
It really does.
I get down, I get anxious whenI'm not practicing gratitude,
yeah, and I know how to changeit around.
I can just start it again.
It doesn't mean that we denyhow we're feeling, but we give
(18:11):
gratitude in the context of ourreal lives and we bring it to
God with our you know, I meanpicture bringing these
circumstances that are sodifficult to the Lord with hands
outstretched.
Lord, there's this, and I can'tnecessarily thank you for this,
but I can thank you in this.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
And that's what he calls us to do.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
So what's another benefit?
Okay, here's another one, andI'm really focused on this one
right now because of what'shappening with my health.
Focusing on gratitude enhancesphysical health.
Grateful individuals have shownlower blood pressure, improved
immune function and better sleepquality.
(18:55):
Oh my goodness, that soundsawesome, just awesome.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
Yep, yep, yep.
Another benefit to practicinggratitude is increased
resilience.
You know, having a gratitudepractice helps me to cope with
stress and adversity, and thatit does.
It fosters greater resiliencein challenging times.
If something comes up, it's inmy face and says boo, I will
(19:20):
have a greater ability to dealwith it.
If I've been practicinggratitude along the way, I think
that's just amazing.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
It is.
It is amazing how about thisone?
Practicing gratitude helps usto have stronger relationships.
Expressing gratitude to otherscan deepen our connections and
foster a sense of community, andwe all need that.
You know we can't walk thisroad alone.
We need that community and tohave stronger relationships.
(19:51):
Wow, I mean, that's a big one.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
And it's interesting to me how this isn't just
gratitude given to somebody foryou know, ministering to you,
bringing a meal, or whateverthey've done in your life, but
it's sharing with them thethings that God is doing in your
life, that you're givinggratitude to God for.
I mean, it's almost like when Ishare what I am thankful for in
(20:17):
my life generally with you,christina, it maximizes the joy
I have in that, and I thinkthat's so neat how it almost
like it returns tenfold or moreor something.
Anyway, what's another one?
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Oh, thanks for saying that, heidi, because you know
what you just did.
In your gratitude, you boostedmy overall happiness, and that's
another one.
That's another one of thebenefits of practicing gratitude
Grateful individuals and I amso grateful they tend to
experience greater levels ofhappiness and life satisfaction.
(20:57):
What Well?
That's amazing.
Well, I want that for sure.
I mean, we all want greaterlevels of happiness and
satisfaction, wow.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
Definitely Does anyone listening to this podcast
right now other than me.
Definitely Does anyonelistening to this podcast right
now other than me.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
Need a month of gratitude.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
Yes, I do, pick me, pick me, pick me, oh my goodness
.
So we want to hear from you ifyou want to share, because we're
excited to witness any growthand joy that unfolds this month
for you.
And you can start anytime, evenif you're listening to this, on
the 28th of August or the 5thof December, start now, right,
(21:39):
right, you know, it is a giftthat God has given us that we
are wired in such a waybiologically, physiologically,
that our bodies respond reallywell to the practice of
gratitude.
And we can support and encourageeach other along the way.
We can share gratitude with oneanother not just for one
another, but to one another forthe way God is at work, and
(22:03):
thank him.
And it's minor null, so we knowthat we're going to be
transformed.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
Right, exactly, and we all you know I was just
thinking about this while youwere talking, heidi we all know
someone where this kind of comesnaturally to them and and you
want to talk to them, you'redrawn to that person.
It's like, oh, you feel, afteryou hang up the phone, you feel
uplifted, you feel encouraged.
Be that person, be that personwho's?
(22:33):
practicing gratitude.
Be that person for yourself andfor your family, and for your
friends and loved ones.
Be that person for the personthat you have to interact with
that is difficult to interactwith.
This is what God is calling usto, and you will love it the
(22:54):
more and more that you do it.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
As we kind of are wrapping up, maybe we could both
think of examples wherecircumstances that are difficult
are kind of flipped around alittle bit.
I've been having a really hardtime with Christina's cancer
diagnosis really hard time andso God and I spent a little bit
of time today, since it's thefirst of August when we're
(23:19):
recording this and this firstday of our gratitude challenge.
But again, you can startwhenever you want.
So, I spent some time talkingwith him about what I'm grateful
for and, wow, let me just saythat was a wonderful thing for
me to do.
It doesn't minimize how heartwrenching it is to see my best
(23:39):
friend go through this difficulttime, and there's a lot of
times when I miss her, thatshe's not able to join me in
certain things as she'srecovering from whatever's
happening to her body with thechemotherapy and all, as she's
recovering from whatever'shappening to her body with the
chemotherapy and all and theLyme disease symptoms that are
(24:02):
magnified at times.
But God has been giving her abrand new relationship with her
oldest daughter which is soamazing and it's just, oh my
gosh, I'm going to cry eventhinking about it.
I'm so glad that that'shappening for you because that
is like something that was soneeded.
I mean, your relationship wasfine but now it's like excellent
.
You're seeing a side of herthat is so tender and loving,
(24:25):
and I think it's really awesomefor her too.
And the fact that you now havea dog what is going on?
You know, dad said he wouldnever get another dog, and here
you have a lovely dog that Godpicked out for you.
And I could go on.
There's the list is long of theblessings I've seen in this
(24:49):
short season.
So far it has been short.
The blessings I've seen in thisshort season so far it has been
short relative to what's ahead.
I know, I know, and I'm soblessed that God has given me
gratitude to help me think histhoughts and see things with his
eyes that I wouldn't.
I mean, I know you're goingthrough it, but I tell you what
it was really.
(25:10):
Yeah, it was a tough day whenyou got that diagnosis in my
mind too.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
Yeah, in my heart as well, I know Well, we kind of
carry each other's burdens andsometimes it's harder to be the
person that's not diagnosed.
Because I've been that persontoo.
Because I've been that persontoo when you went through your
(25:36):
health crisis in 2014,.
I was on my knees through thatwhole time and that was hard,
really, really hard, I know.
Hmm, yeah, so what I'm noticingright now in this season is
that it's really, really easyfor me to slip into a pity party
.
And you know, like we've said,we don't want to minimize.
(25:58):
I need to talk about it.
I need to talk about it withyou know, my safe people.
I need to cry and all of thosethings, and but there's this
slippery slope going on where,um, if I stay in a certain place
in my thoughts for too long,I'm going down and that's where
the enemy wants to take me.
(26:20):
And so, again, just that ideathat I get to choose my thoughts
, and not only that, but I havethe authority, through Christ,
to send the enemy away.
And I think we forget thatsometimes.
I think sometimes we think thatthe enemy is so powerful that
(26:41):
he doesn't have any power.
Really, god has all the power,and so I get to choose thoughts,
lies from the culture, from mypast, from my own thoughts, from
my fears from the enemy, or doI stop that in the moment,
submit those thoughts to Christand ask him for his, and there
(27:06):
is transformation there.
That's like the best wordreally.
Transformation means somethinghas been completely made new.
Something has been completelylike restructured, like
rejuvenated, refreshed.
Like when you hit refresh onyour computer you know it's like
, oh, I'm refreshed because I'mthinking God's thoughts after
(27:27):
him, and gratitude is the bestplace to begin.
In some ways, it's the easiestplace to begin.
Yesterday I sat out front ofour.
We have a beautiful front yardwith beautiful trees, and I just
started with being thankful forthe trees, mm-hmm and the
squirrels running after eachother on the trees and the bark,
(27:50):
the beautiful bark pattern andthe way that the leaves were
dancing in the wind.
And I noticed little tinygolden leaves, because we're
coming into fall already.
Oh my goodness.
I know, and it's just barelybarely begun, but I didn't have
to go into everything that washard and heavy and all I had to
(28:13):
do was focus on a tree that Godmade so beautifully and I was
there, I was in the midst ofgratitude and it calmed me, my
whole body calmed down, and thenI was able to go into some
other things.
But start so simple, start sosimple with gratitude and then,
(28:35):
once you're there, you're thereand your thoughts are, you know,
um, lining up with God'sthoughts, and I love that.
I'm so grateful that I havethat.
And I'm so grateful that I canchoose it whenever, whenever I
want, whenever I need One of thethings that I'm so grateful
that I can choose it whenever,whenever I want, whenever I need
.
Speaker 1 (28:52):
One of the things that I'm thinking as you were
talking was that for some people, this is really hard to even
just start small, and so we havea mind renewal tool that is a
gratitude tool that helps peoplestart small when you feel the
least willing, this tool can beso helpful.
(29:12):
You know which one I'm thinkingof?
Lord I love, yes, of course,and so we're going to share that
with you as we close, becauseyou might be somebody going.
I don't have anything to bethankful for, and I think a lot
of us have gone in our lives.
We've put these categoriesaround ideas and like.
(29:33):
That's for people likeChristina, who's always happy.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
I'm kidding, of course.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
Anyway, or that's for somebody else.
Anyway, is there anything inyour life right now that you
love, like do I love that I cantake probiotics in gummy form?
I do that's just because I needprobiotics in order to repair
my gut biome because of thedamage I've done from 11 years
(30:02):
of being on antibiotics.
And I just discovered these.
Thank you, chat GPT discoveredthese.
Thank you, chat GPT.
Lord, I love that gummies canbe probiotic.
Oh my gosh, how great is that?
It's amazing.
And so you see how fluffy thatI mean it seems fluffy, but I
love that right now, aftereating those gummies, my gut is
(30:25):
being benefited.
My yeah being benefited.
My yeah, there's repair going onright now.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
I love that too.
I love that you can just choosesomething in the moment.
That is so simple.
I love that I'm able to breatheeasily.
You know, we live at highelevation and a lot of the older
people in our area have to useoxygen.
I love that I'm able to breathefreely.
(30:52):
I love that God gave me healthy, strong lungs.
That's simple enough, I love it, I'm so grateful.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
And I love my soft, furry, fluffy, floofy dog Blue.
I love him.
See, you can start as floofyand fluffy as you want and what
it does is it kind of can makeyou giggle.
It can make you giggle.
Okay, I get it, this is easy.
What else do you love,christina, give me another one.
(31:22):
What do you love?
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Another one that I love.
I love that my daughter, myoldest daughter, brushed my hair
last night for half an hour.
I love that.
That felt so good.
It was better than a massage.
It was better than anything.
Really, in the moment we werewatching a movie together and
(31:44):
she brushed my hair for half anhour oh my gosh, and I love the
way that it deepened ourrelationship.
It was so simple but it was sogood, so so good.
Speaker 1 (31:57):
Yes, this morning, as I was sitting on the patio, I
was loving the way the windchimes that you gave me made me
think of you.
The sound they were making wasso beautiful and it just
reminded me of how God wants tomove in my life and make music
through my life, like the wind.
You can't see the wind, but youcan hear it as it moves through
(32:21):
the wind chimes.
The wind chimes are just aninstrument, kind of passive
really, and the wind makes thembeautiful and I love that.
I love that the sound isbeautiful, I love it reminds me
of my best friend who gave methe wind chimes, and I love that
it reminds me of the way Godwants to work in my life as well
, one more.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
Okay, so this is kind of this is kind of funny.
But my husband, he doesn'treally like the Lord I love
thing, it's just not really hisdeal.
So I came up with one just forhim.
He doesn't even really know,but I say, well, the good thing
is, and he likes that better.
That's more his language.
(33:01):
Yeah, so we'll be talking aboutanything, something one of the
kids or work, or my diagnosis orwhatever and I'll say, well,
you know what the good thing is.
And he jumps right in and hedoesn't even know he's redoing
his mind.
Well, the good thing is, theweather is so much cooler today.
(33:22):
That feels really good, doesn'tit?
Yeah, well, what's?
Well?
Well, the good thing is thatyou know the car's already full
of gas.
Well, the good thing is thatthe car is already full of gas,
so we don't have to leave earlyto fill it up before we go.
The good thing is, and he likesthat better.
Speaker 1 (33:36):
All right, so we can try Lord I love, or the good
thing is, or anything else.
That is a really great on-rampto a gratitude practice when I'm
feeling frustrated in my lifeor when I'm feeling kind of
resentful towards God.
I'm just being honest here.
Which happens for me?
Speaker 2 (33:57):
Yes, of course.
Speaker 1 (33:58):
I have found that Lord I love and I'm sure the
good thing is could work too, Areally good way of seeing my
heart soften a little bit andrecognizing God's goodness right
where I am.
Speaker 2 (34:11):
Absolutely, and the good thing is that it's God's
design.
Speaker 1 (34:16):
And the good thing is there's lots of good things
there's so many.
Speaker 2 (34:20):
It's just making us smile.
Heidi and I are just grinningear to ear right now because
there's so many of those right.
Speaker 1 (34:27):
The good thing is Well, we're glad that you have
joined us, in fact, the goodthing is.
Well, we're glad that you havejoined us.
In fact, the good thing is youhave been here.
Speaker 2 (34:33):
Yes, yes we've loved having you here today and we
hope that you'll join us for ournext episode of revelation
within on the go next time.
Bye.
Hi and welcome to our podcast, revelation Within On
the Go.
I'm Heidi Biles-Mapperson, oneof your hosts and the owner and
lead coach of theRevelationWithinorg ministry.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
And I'm Christina Motley, your other host, also a
Revelation Within coach andHeidi's partner in all things
Revelation Within, and we are sohappy to invite you to join us
for today's episode ofRevelation Within On the Go.
Come on in, put your feet up.
(00:39):
We are so glad you're here.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Yeah, sit right on down, let your hair down, grab a
favorite beverage.
A favorite beverage.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
You're sounding more and more Southern every day.
What's going on?
Speaker 1 (00:54):
I couldn't tell you Mind renewal.
We love renewing our minds andwe love the way God uses it to
transform us.
Romans 12 is so awesome.
It's true, we are transformedas we renew our minds, and so
how many tools would you say wehave for mind renewal now?
Speaker 2 (01:15):
You know, we probably have.
Well, definitely over a hundred.
Speaker 1 (01:19):
Oh yeah, that was a couple of years ago.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Yeah, we have really a lot, and I love that you asked
me to look at them the otherday, heidi, because there were
some that I had to kind ofrefresh my memory.
We got to do some work on those, I think.
Speaker 1 (01:31):
I think you're right.
Speaker 2 (01:33):
You know, write them out and get them updated, and
and boy, they are so life-giving, so fabulous.
I don't want to miss a singleone.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Absolutely.
And this month, the month ofAugust, we are focusing in our
RevWithinteam community ongratitude.
We pick a theme every month andthis month, the month of August
, we have picked the greatgratitude reset and we're just
going to focus on gratitude allmonth.
(02:07):
Now that may sound kind ofho-hum, boring for some people,
but I tell you what you havenever seen gratitude done Like
we do it at Revelation, withinwe do it so well, don't we?
Speaker 2 (02:20):
Yes, but I love that title, heidi, because you put
reset in the title and I need toreset with gratitude.
I am so excited.
I know what comes from aregular practice of gratitude.
Speaker 1 (02:34):
Yeah, me too I know what comes.
Speaker 2 (02:36):
You know what comes and we love it.
It changes your whole life.
Speaker 1 (02:42):
It does, it really does.
Years ago, I got to speak at aretreat about gratitude and I
just remember even back then itwas like wow, there's so much to
it.
So we're going to talk aboutgratitude here today on our
podcast and if you're hearingthis sometime in August, come on
over and dive in.
(03:03):
Wherever we are RevWithinteam,we would love to have you, or
you can go torevelationwithinorg and see some
description there about whatwe're up to in August or
whatever month you're hearingthis that is, we always update
it.
We let everybody know what we'redoing in our little private
community.
And you know the first month isfree, so how could you go wrong
(03:25):
?
If you don't like it at the endof the month you can say it's
not a good fit, don't bug meanymore.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Unsubscribe A whole month for free to check us out
and just kind of look around andsee what we're up to Right?
I just love it.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Yeah, so.
So, by way of review of ourentire ministry, christina, how
would you describe mind renewal?
What is mind renewal?
Speaker 2 (03:51):
Oh gosh, the renewing of the mind, something that I
didn't understand for a reallyreally long time.
Most of my adult life I reallydidn't get it or understand it
or know how to practice it, butreally all it is is thinking
God's thoughts after him.
That's what it is and it's likewell, how do I know what God is
(04:12):
thinking?
I don't know.
I don't know what he's thinking, but actually we do.
We have this big, beautifullove letter called the Bible
that God wrote to us, and it ischocked full of thousands of his
thoughts.
Speaker 1 (04:30):
Yes, and that's not all.
But he says that those are hisown.
He gives his Holy Spirit too,so we have the mind of Christ.
It says in first Corinthians,2.16.
And so you know what we canknow, the thoughts of God.
And so really that know what wecan know, the thoughts of God.
And so really that's what we'redoing in the month of August,
is we're what are your thoughtsabout this circumstance or this
(04:54):
person?
And then we give gratitudebecause God has ordained that
person or that circumstance, orallowed it certainly.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Well, and there's one more piece to this that, to me,
is so, so, so, so important,and that is that we are free to
choose what we think.
Yay, we are free to choose.
We are free in Christ, we areredeemed.
We are free and I say that tomyself a lot, especially lately
(05:24):
I am free to choose what I thinkabout.
I am free, in this very moment,to choose God's thoughts rather
than my own thoughts, ratherthan the enemy's thoughts,
rather than the world or theculture's thoughts.
I am free to choose.
Speaker 1 (05:43):
Right.
I am free to choose Right.
Proverbs 3, verses 5 and 6,tells us that my thoughts and
God's thoughts may be a littlebit different from one another,
and so I want to get in thepractice of thinking his
thoughts so that I more and moredefault to those thoughts.
So why do we place a premium onmind renewal, at Revelation
Within?
Speaker 2 (06:04):
Because mind renewal changes everything.
It changes your moments.
It changes your mornings andafternoons.
It changes the way you makedecisions.
It changes the way you respondto life and things that are
coming your way.
It really changes everything,because your mind is filled with
(06:27):
God's thoughts.
It changes your whole mindset,your whole outlook.
It's pretty amazing.
Speaker 1 (06:35):
It really is.
And you know, proverbs 3, 5,and 6 kind of sets up this, my
thoughts and God's thoughts, andhow they're different.
That's why it tells us, I think, in that passage trust in the
Lord with all your heart andlean not on your own
understanding.
All your ways acknowledge himand he will make your path
(06:56):
straight.
Because, left to my own devices, my interpretation is likely to
not be entirely accurate.
I am more likely to havetantrums and gripe and complain.
Right when I practice God'sthoughts, my perspective is
changed.
You know, it doesn't justchange my life, which it does,
(07:17):
but it changes my now, thisminute.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
You know, that reminds me somebody in my past I
don't remember who it was.
Somebody told me once Christina, it is easy to throw tantrums,
it's easy to gripe, it's easy tocomplain, it's easy to go down
that road, but it is so worth itto go to God and ask him what
(07:41):
his viewpoint is.
Ask him what his viewpoint is.
So I think of that sometimeswhen I'm in the middle of a kind
of a fit tantrum.
It's like you know what?
This is kind of the easy road.
It's our default as humans.
We just do it naturally.
But to go to God and say what doyou think about this?
(08:01):
And then intentionally thinkhis thoughts.
It takes intention, it takes alittle bit of time, but it will
change your life.
Speaker 1 (08:13):
Definitely.
And you know, it's kind ofobvious that the church,
christians, generally encouragepeople to give gratitude to God
and so on.
But interestingly enough, itmay have taken 2000 years, but
finally the secular world isrecognizing what God has known
(08:33):
all along, what he created usfor, and that we are transformed
by thinking, his thoughts, therenewing of our minds.
So we have a couple of quotesfor you from some secular people
who are well known in the world.
These aren't people who areassociated with Christianity at
all, I don't know what theirbeliefs are necessarily, but the
(08:56):
first one is by the author of abook called Codependent no More
, and it's a very popular bookabout being freed from
codependence by melody beady.
She says gratitude unlocks thefullness of life it turns what
we have into enough and more.
(09:18):
It turns denial into acceptance,chaos to order, to clarity.
It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a
stranger into a friend.
Speaker 2 (09:32):
Wow, that's beautiful .
Speaker 1 (09:35):
Isn't it?
Speaker 2 (09:36):
Yeah, definitely so.
And then from Dr Robert AEmmons, who is a PhD professor
of psychology at the Universityof California Davis, which is
close to Heidi, a leadingresearcher on gratitude and
well-being.
When people regularly cultivategratitude, they experience a
(09:58):
multitude of psychological,physical, interpersonal and
spiritual benefits.
Grateful people experiencehigher levels of positive
emotions, such as joy,enthusiasm, love, happiness and
optimism, and gratitude as adiscipline protects us from the
(10:19):
destructive impulses of envy,resentment, pulses of envy,
resentment, greed and bitterness, whoa.
People who experience gratitudecan cope more effectively with
everyday stress, show increasedresilience something we are all
looking for in the face oftrauma-induced stress, recover
(10:41):
more quickly from illness andenjoy a more robust physical
health as well.
Oh, my goodness, gracious.
That was a mouthful.
How fantastic.
Speaker 1 (10:55):
Yeah, and in our community we are providing free
of charge, no additional charge,a digital the great gratitude
reset journal and his findings.
This Dr Emmons findings alsoincludes gratitude journaling.
Speaker 2 (11:12):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (11:12):
It's linked to 25% greater happiness, more sleep,
more exercise compared to thosewho don't practice it, and that
participants keeping gratitudejournals or writing gratitude
letters reported fewer physicalsymptoms, lower blood pressure,
better immune response andreduced depression.
That's amazing.
Speaker 2 (11:33):
I mean, why do we think it's amazing?
It's God's design.
Yes, of course he's amazing.
A better immune response.
Are you kidding me?
That's fantastic, isn't it Allof this?
Speaker 1 (11:45):
is such good news.
It really is, of course.
Christian thinkers, authors,scholars.
They have been celebrating thepractice of gratitude for some
time.
Ann Voskamp, who many of us areaware of in the Christian world
says gratitude is not only aresponse to God.
In good times, it's the verylens through which we see
(12:08):
everything.
Speaker 2 (12:09):
Yes, so true.
And then we have a quote fromDallas Willard Gratitude is not
merely about feeling thankful.
It is a form of knowledge, away of being deeply oriented to
reality.
Speaker 1 (12:24):
That's a cool way of looking at it, I love that, and
Henry Nowen says gratitude isnot a spontaneous response to
the worth of something.
It is the chosen, like you weresaying earlier, christina, the
chosen response to awareness ofGod's presence.
Speaker 2 (12:43):
Wow, Wow, the chosen response.
Wow, that's fantastic.
Speaker 1 (12:49):
And we can.
We can choose what we thinkabout.
We can choose our response.
What better way to respond thanwith God's thoughts about
things?
I mean, why would I want tothink my thoughts?
Speaker 2 (13:02):
Well, and I I want to just throw this in here real
quick we're not at allminimizing things that are hard,
that you're going through.
We're not saying oh, just sweepit all under the rug and put on
a smile and pretend you don'tfeel pain.
Or pretend, and just say I'mfine, I'm fine, we don't want to
do that at all.
No, but we want to beintentional about bringing
(13:23):
gratitude into the hard stuff aswell as the good stuff.
So definitely not minimizinganything that you're going
through, because we're goingthrough hard stuff too.
Heidi and I and we, we know howimportant it is to be able to
talk about those things and cryand share those things.
Speaker 1 (13:44):
Right, right.
So, no matter what the world oreven what Christian scholars
say, though, we have the word ofGod telling us that giving
gratitude is a beautiful,wonderful thing.
So here are some of those.
Gratitude shifts our focus fromlack to abundance.
An example of where this istaught is Psalm 107, verse 1,
(14:09):
which kind of reminds us thatgratitude roots us in God's
unchanging goodness, especiallyin those seasons of uncertainty
or when we think things arepretty scarce.
This is what that verse says.
Psalm 107, verse 1 says givethanks to the Lord for he is
good and love endures forever.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
Oh and then?
Okay, Is there anyone out therewho is not going to need this?
Gratitude transforms anxietyinto peace.
I mean, that is amazing.
Do you know anyone right nowthat isn't having anxious
thoughts about something?
I mean, really there's a lot ofanxiety in this world right now
(14:50):
.
So Philippians 4, 6 through 7says Do not be anxious about
anything, but in everything, byprayer and supplication, with
thanksgiving, let your requestsbe made known to God, and the
peace of God will guard yourhearts.
Speaker 1 (15:12):
And it's not just any peace, it's God's peace and it
transcends all understanding.
Speaker 2 (15:18):
Yes, With something that we don't get, we don't get
it and we can't make it either.
Thanksgiving is not just tackedon, it's actually central.
When paired with prayer, itrecalibrates our inner world
toward peace.
And like Heidi said, that's notsomething that's conjured up
(15:41):
from here, something that we canmake up.
That's God's peace and there'snothing like it in the world.
Speaker 1 (15:47):
Right.
And yet another reason why wewant to practice gratitude is it
helps us stay spiritually awake, alert, aware.
And Colossians 4.2 sayscontinue steadfastly in prayer,
being watchful with thanksgiving.
I love that Paul ties gratitudeto spiritual awareness.
(16:08):
Yes, it's like gratitude iskeeping the light on while
waiting in the dark.
Speaker 2 (16:16):
That's profound Keeping the light on while
waiting in the dark.
I love that, Thank you.
Speaker 1 (16:22):
Heidi, I love that true gratitude, true
God-inspired gratitude.
Thinking God's thoughts aboutcircumstances, situations,
people, whatever blows the socksoff of positive thinking.
Positive believism,declarations, affirmations,
whatever people out there aresaying this is going to make me.
(16:43):
You know, I do, too, have ahundred million dollars in my
bank account.
That's not rooted in truth.
Why would I want to positivebelieve my way and you know it
doesn't work that way?
No, that's not rooted in truth.
Why would I want to positivebelieve my way and you know it
doesn't work that way?
Speaker 2 (16:55):
No no.
Speaker 1 (16:57):
Well, and and if all of this doesn't convince you, we
have even more, in a nutshell,the benefits of gratitude when
we intentionally practicegratitude.
Again, some of these aresummary statements, some of
these are kind of expanding thethought a little bit.
Improves our mental healthGratitude has been linked to
(17:20):
reducing symptoms of depressionand anxiety and promoting a more
positive outlook on life.
Have you seen that, christina,where when you're practicing
gratitude it does, it gives youa better outlook on life, but
when you stop for some reason,maybe you never stop.
So maybe I should use myself,cause I do.
(17:47):
I go in and out of seasons whereI'm renewing my mind and
actively practicing gratitude ornot, and boy, it changes
everything.
It really does.
I get down, I get anxious whenI'm not practicing gratitude,
yeah, and I know how to changeit around.
I can just start it again.
It doesn't mean that we denyhow we're feeling, but we give
(18:11):
gratitude in the context of ourreal lives and we bring it to
God with our you know, I meanpicture bringing these
circumstances that are sodifficult to the Lord with hands
outstretched.
Lord, there's this, and I can'tnecessarily thank you for this,
but I can thank you in this.
Speaker 2 (18:30):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (18:31):
And that's what he calls us to do.
Speaker 2 (18:33):
So what's another benefit?
Okay, here's another one, andI'm really focused on this one
right now because of what'shappening with my health.
Focusing on gratitude enhancesphysical health.
Grateful individuals have shownlower blood pressure, improved
immune function and better sleepquality.
(18:55):
Oh my goodness, that soundsawesome, just awesome.
Speaker 1 (18:59):
Yep, yep, yep.
Another benefit to practicinggratitude is increased
resilience.
You know, having a gratitudepractice helps me to cope with
stress and adversity, and thatit does.
It fosters greater resiliencein challenging times.
If something comes up, it's inmy face and says boo, I will
(19:20):
have a greater ability to dealwith it.
If I've been practicinggratitude along the way, I think
that's just amazing.
Speaker 2 (19:27):
It is.
It is amazing how about thisone?
Practicing gratitude helps usto have stronger relationships.
Expressing gratitude to otherscan deepen our connections and
foster a sense of community, andwe all need that.
You know we can't walk thisroad alone.
We need that community and tohave stronger relationships.
(19:51):
Wow, I mean, that's a big one.
Speaker 1 (19:53):
And it's interesting to me how this isn't just
gratitude given to somebody foryou know, ministering to you,
bringing a meal, or whateverthey've done in your life, but
it's sharing with them thethings that God is doing in your
life, that you're givinggratitude to God for.
I mean, it's almost like when Ishare what I am thankful for in
(20:17):
my life generally with you,christina, it maximizes the joy
I have in that, and I thinkthat's so neat how it almost
like it returns tenfold or moreor something.
Anyway, what's another one?
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Oh, thanks for saying that, heidi, because you know
what you just did.
In your gratitude, you boostedmy overall happiness, and that's
another one.
That's another one of thebenefits of practicing gratitude
Grateful individuals and I amso grateful they tend to
experience greater levels ofhappiness and life satisfaction.
(20:57):
What Well?
That's amazing.
Well, I want that for sure.
I mean, we all want greaterlevels of happiness and
satisfaction, wow.
Speaker 1 (21:08):
Definitely Does anyone listening to this podcast
right now other than me.
Definitely Does anyonelistening to this podcast right
now other than me.
Speaker 2 (21:16):
Need a month of gratitude.
Speaker 1 (21:17):
Yes, I do, pick me, pick me, pick me, oh my goodness
.
So we want to hear from you ifyou want to share, because we're
excited to witness any growthand joy that unfolds this month
for you.
And you can start anytime, evenif you're listening to this, on
the 28th of August or the 5thof December, start now, right,
(21:39):
right, you know, it is a giftthat God has given us that we
are wired in such a waybiologically, physiologically,
that our bodies respond reallywell to the practice of
gratitude.
And we can support and encourageeach other along the way.
We can share gratitude with oneanother not just for one
another, but to one another forthe way God is at work, and
(22:03):
thank him.
And it's minor null, so we knowthat we're going to be
transformed.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
Right, exactly, and we all you know I was just
thinking about this while youwere talking, heidi we all know
someone where this kind of comesnaturally to them and and you
want to talk to them, you'redrawn to that person.
It's like, oh, you feel, afteryou hang up the phone, you feel
uplifted, you feel encouraged.
Be that person, be that personwho's?
(22:33):
practicing gratitude.
Be that person for yourself andfor your family, and for your
friends and loved ones.
Be that person for the personthat you have to interact with
that is difficult to interactwith.
This is what God is calling usto, and you will love it the
(22:54):
more and more that you do it.
Speaker 1 (22:57):
As we kind of are wrapping up, maybe we could both
think of examples wherecircumstances that are difficult
are kind of flipped around alittle bit.
I've been having a really hardtime with Christina's cancer
diagnosis really hard time andso God and I spent a little bit
of time today, since it's thefirst of August when we're
(23:19):
recording this and this firstday of our gratitude challenge.
But again, you can startwhenever you want.
So, I spent some time talkingwith him about what I'm grateful
for and, wow, let me just saythat was a wonderful thing for
me to do.
It doesn't minimize how heartwrenching it is to see my best
(23:39):
friend go through this difficulttime, and there's a lot of
times when I miss her, thatshe's not able to join me in
certain things as she'srecovering from whatever's
happening to her body with thechemotherapy and all, as she's
recovering from whatever'shappening to her body with the
chemotherapy and all and theLyme disease symptoms that are
(24:02):
magnified at times.
But God has been giving her abrand new relationship with her
oldest daughter which is soamazing and it's just, oh my
gosh, I'm going to cry eventhinking about it.
I'm so glad that that'shappening for you because that
is like something that was soneeded.
I mean, your relationship wasfine but now it's like excellent
.
You're seeing a side of herthat is so tender and loving,
(24:25):
and I think it's really awesomefor her too.
And the fact that you now havea dog what is going on?
You know, dad said he wouldnever get another dog, and here
you have a lovely dog that Godpicked out for you.
And I could go on.
There's the list is long of theblessings I've seen in this
(24:49):
short season.
So far it has been short.
The blessings I've seen in thisshort season so far it has been
short relative to what's ahead.
I know, I know, and I'm soblessed that God has given me
gratitude to help me think histhoughts and see things with his
eyes that I wouldn't.
I mean, I know you're goingthrough it, but I tell you what
it was really.
(25:10):
Yeah, it was a tough day whenyou got that diagnosis in my
mind too.
Speaker 2 (25:15):
Yeah, in my heart as well, I know Well, we kind of
carry each other's burdens andsometimes it's harder to be the
person that's not diagnosed.
Because I've been that persontoo.
Because I've been that persontoo when you went through your
(25:36):
health crisis in 2014,.
I was on my knees through thatwhole time and that was hard,
really, really hard, I know.
Hmm, yeah, so what I'm noticingright now in this season is
that it's really, really easyfor me to slip into a pity party
.
And you know, like we've said,we don't want to minimize.
(25:58):
I need to talk about it.
I need to talk about it withyou know, my safe people.
I need to cry and all of thosethings, and but there's this
slippery slope going on where,um, if I stay in a certain place
in my thoughts for too long,I'm going down and that's where
the enemy wants to take me.
(26:20):
And so, again, just that ideathat I get to choose my thoughts
, and not only that, but I havethe authority, through Christ,
to send the enemy away.
And I think we forget thatsometimes.
I think sometimes we think thatthe enemy is so powerful that
(26:41):
he doesn't have any power.
Really, god has all the power,and so I get to choose thoughts,
lies from the culture, from mypast, from my own thoughts, from
my fears from the enemy, or doI stop that in the moment,
submit those thoughts to Christand ask him for his, and there
(27:06):
is transformation there.
That's like the best wordreally.
Transformation means somethinghas been completely made new.
Something has been completelylike restructured, like
rejuvenated, refreshed.
Like when you hit refresh onyour computer you know it's like
, oh, I'm refreshed because I'mthinking God's thoughts after
(27:27):
him, and gratitude is the bestplace to begin.
In some ways, it's the easiestplace to begin.
Yesterday I sat out front ofour.
We have a beautiful front yardwith beautiful trees, and I just
started with being thankful forthe trees, mm-hmm and the
squirrels running after eachother on the trees and the bark,
(27:50):
the beautiful bark pattern andthe way that the leaves were
dancing in the wind.
And I noticed little tinygolden leaves, because we're
coming into fall already.
Oh my goodness.
I know, and it's just barelybarely begun, but I didn't have
to go into everything that washard and heavy and all I had to
(28:13):
do was focus on a tree that Godmade so beautifully and I was
there, I was in the midst ofgratitude and it calmed me, my
whole body calmed down, and thenI was able to go into some
other things.
But start so simple, start sosimple with gratitude and then,
(28:35):
once you're there, you're thereand your thoughts are, you know,
um, lining up with God'sthoughts, and I love that.
I'm so grateful that I havethat.
And I'm so grateful that I canchoose it whenever, whenever I
want, whenever I need One of thethings that I'm so grateful
that I can choose it whenever,whenever I want, whenever I need
.
Speaker 1 (28:52):
One of the things that I'm thinking as you were
talking was that for some people, this is really hard to even
just start small, and so we havea mind renewal tool that is a
gratitude tool that helps peoplestart small when you feel the
least willing, this tool can beso helpful.
(29:12):
You know which one I'm thinkingof?
Lord I love, yes, of course,and so we're going to share that
with you as we close, becauseyou might be somebody going.
I don't have anything to bethankful for, and I think a lot
of us have gone in our lives.
We've put these categoriesaround ideas and like.
(29:33):
That's for people likeChristina, who's always happy.
Speaker 2 (29:38):
I'm kidding, of course.
Speaker 1 (29:40):
Anyway, or that's for somebody else.
Anyway, is there anything inyour life right now that you
love, like do I love that I cantake probiotics in gummy form?
I do that's just because I needprobiotics in order to repair
my gut biome because of thedamage I've done from 11 years
(30:02):
of being on antibiotics.
And I just discovered these.
Thank you, chat GPT discoveredthese.
Thank you, chat GPT.
Lord, I love that gummies canbe probiotic.
Oh my gosh, how great is that?
It's amazing.
And so you see how fluffy thatI mean it seems fluffy, but I
love that right now, aftereating those gummies, my gut is
(30:25):
being benefited.
My yeah being benefited.
My yeah, there's repair going onright now.
Speaker 2 (30:32):
I love that too.
I love that you can just choosesomething in the moment.
That is so simple.
I love that I'm able to breatheeasily.
You know, we live at highelevation and a lot of the older
people in our area have to useoxygen.
I love that I'm able to breathefreely.
(30:52):
I love that God gave me healthy, strong lungs.
That's simple enough, I love it, I'm so grateful.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
And I love my soft, furry, fluffy, floofy dog Blue.
I love him.
See, you can start as floofyand fluffy as you want and what
it does is it kind of can makeyou giggle.
It can make you giggle.
Okay, I get it, this is easy.
What else do you love,christina, give me another one.
(31:22):
What do you love?
Speaker 2 (31:23):
Another one that I love.
I love that my daughter, myoldest daughter, brushed my hair
last night for half an hour.
I love that.
That felt so good.
It was better than a massage.
It was better than anything.
Really, in the moment we werewatching a movie together and
(31:44):
she brushed my hair for half anhour oh my gosh, and I love the
way that it deepened ourrelationship.
It was so simple but it was sogood, so so good.
Speaker 1 (31:57):
Yes, this morning, as I was sitting on the patio, I
was loving the way the windchimes that you gave me made me
think of you.
The sound they were making wasso beautiful and it just
reminded me of how God wants tomove in my life and make music
through my life, like the wind.
You can't see the wind, but youcan hear it as it moves through
(32:21):
the wind chimes.
The wind chimes are just aninstrument, kind of passive
really, and the wind makes thembeautiful and I love that.
I love that the sound isbeautiful, I love it reminds me
of my best friend who gave methe wind chimes, and I love that
it reminds me of the way Godwants to work in my life as well
, one more.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
Okay, so this is kind of this is kind of funny.
But my husband, he doesn'treally like the Lord I love
thing, it's just not really hisdeal.
So I came up with one just forhim.
He doesn't even really know,but I say, well, the good thing
is, and he likes that better.
That's more his language.
(33:01):
Yeah, so we'll be talking aboutanything, something one of the
kids or work, or my diagnosis orwhatever and I'll say, well,
you know what the good thing is.
And he jumps right in and hedoesn't even know he's redoing
his mind.
Well, the good thing is, theweather is so much cooler today.
(33:22):
That feels really good, doesn'tit?
Yeah, well, what's?
Well?
Well, the good thing is thatyou know the car's already full
of gas.
Well, the good thing is thatthe car is already full of gas,
so we don't have to leave earlyto fill it up before we go.
The good thing is, and he likesthat better.
Speaker 1 (33:36):
All right, so we can try Lord I love, or the good
thing is, or anything else.
That is a really great on-rampto a gratitude practice when I'm
feeling frustrated in my lifeor when I'm feeling kind of
resentful towards God.
I'm just being honest here.
Which happens for me?
Speaker 2 (33:57):
Yes, of course.
Speaker 1 (33:58):
I have found that Lord I love and I'm sure the
good thing is could work too, Areally good way of seeing my
heart soften a little bit andrecognizing God's goodness right
where I am.
Speaker 2 (34:11):
Absolutely, and the good thing is that it's God's
design.
Speaker 1 (34:16):
And the good thing is there's lots of good things
there's so many.
Speaker 2 (34:20):
It's just making us smile.
Heidi and I are just grinningear to ear right now because
there's so many of those right.
Speaker 1 (34:27):
The good thing is Well, we're glad that you have
joined us, in fact, the goodthing is.
Well, we're glad that you havejoined us.
In fact, the good thing is youhave been here.
Speaker 2 (34:33):
Yes, yes we've loved having you here today and we
hope that you'll join us for ournext episode of revelation
within on the go next time.
Bye.
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