The following is an adaptation from Ps. Mark Evans’ teaching called “The Thankfulness Advantage (Part 2)”

We all go through days that seem to dull our shine. Days that seem to bring us down whether it’s because of work, a friendship or evenyour significant other. Some people seem to bounce back pretty quickly but for those that have a general demeanor that’s a bit more, shall we say, down to earth, it can be hard.

When we’re feeling down, it’s tough to see the things in life that make life worth living. We’re quick to take for granted the things that surround us day in and day out. But to experience meaningful change in our base mood or our down moments, we need to recognize and be thankful for the various people and opportunities in our life. As we take our eyes off of our problems and instead, focus on our blessings, we will see more and more of them. This may start off as recognizing the easy-to-see big blessings, but more and more, you’ll begin to see more of the little everyday miracles, which leads to an overall outlook of gratitude.

A life lived with an attitude of gratitude will impact many parts of your life. People are often drawn to others who make them feel loved and who generally view the world through a positive lense. Being thankful for your job and the opportunities you have can impress your boss and tends to lead to promotion. All around, as you live a thankful life, you will have more reasons to be thankful.

You may have seen others taking pictures of things or people in their life they’re thankful for with the hashtag #raisingmysetpoint. They’re taking the challenge to see what they can be grateful for and we’re passing that challenge on to you. Even if you don’t feel there’s much in your life to be thankful for, we think if you look hard enough, you’ll be able to see where God has blessed you immensely. Let us know how you’re thankful by posting pictures of these areas with the hashtag #raisingmysetpoint so we can celebrate with an attitude of gratitude together!

Northwest Gold is a series of easy-to-digest wisdom from the best Northwest teachings. To learn more on this topic, check out the full teaching “The Thankfulness Advantage (Part 2)” and also view more teachings like this on the Thankfulness sermon series page.