The Thankfulness Challenge

I just love the timing of God sometimes. Remember a few days ago when I posted about having a thankful heart, well this weekend we had 2 men come and minister at our church. They have been several times, and I always thoroughly enjoy them. This weekend they did a message on gratitude, and challenged us to take the gratitude test. There were four main points to the challenge.
1. Regularly count your blessings
2. Begin and end each day with thankfulness
3. Start all prayers with thanksgiving
4. Remember to say thank you

As you know I am by nature a pessimist, however he said that he absolutely guarantees that you will become an optimist. I truly believe that my anxiety-depression comes from my negative attitude about everything, I have a wonderful, great life, yet I can't enjoy it because I'm waiting for the shoe to drop. If things go good for to long, then I worry about what must be about to happen next. I worry about the significant as well as the menial everyday stuff. I must say that I've been alot better recently, thanks to medication. I think that it is so interesting and cool of God to let me in on the secret to true happiness before I heard the sermon on it. The sermon just solidified everything, and I am determined to change. He talked about when you grumble and complain, you are opening the door to deception in your life. He spoke about giving thanks FOR ALL THINGS and IN ALL THINGS, stuff I've heard all my life, this time there wasn't a wax build up keeping me from receiving it. This challenge is actually going to be difficult for me for a number of reasons, but honestly the biggest reason is I genuinely like being negative. It is part of my personality that I am comfortable with, it's something to hide behind and a way to not show my true feelings. So I'm feeling a little vulnerable right now. I thought that it would be great if other pessi people joined me in the thankfulness challenge. I have committed to the following additional challenges, beside the afore mentioned.

1. I will not complain about anything, and if I do, I will ask for forgiveness. (because God allows the stuff anyway)
2. I will thank my children for every obedient act they do, and show real appreciation.

I was severally challenged sat. night when I came home to find the black moron inside the house. Someone had left the back door open, and my bathroom was destroyed. There was my new brush in pieces, along with TP, and the hamper lid was in chards. The living sofas had been sprayed as his turf, and some tupperware out of sink is no longer usable. Believe me, thanking God that night was tough, but I will succeed. So pray for me if you think of it, and join me if you need it.