Is Giving Thanks the Secret to Joy?

I am thankful for my life and the blessings God has given me but I feel like over the past couple months I have felt God tug on my heart to start a gratitude journal for my life.  Going from a corporate job to staying at home my days look very different than they used to. Doing laundry and changing diapers sometimes (a lot of time) loses its joy for me day in and day out.

I am in the middle of reading One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. Ann is a stay at home Mom on a farm and she challenges herself to list one thousand things she is thankful for in her life.  She writes about Grace, Thanksgiving, and Joy and how through Gods grace we give thanksgiving and thanksgiving is what brings true joy. I have had several "ah ha" moments reading parts of her books but the following quotes has impacted me the most and created a desire to take on a similar challenge of thanksgiving.

She writes: "The greatest thing is to give thanks for everything. He who has learned this knows what it means to live ... He has penetrated the whole mystery of life: giving thanks for everything" she continue later in the book that "Joy is the realest of reality, the fullest of life, and joy is always given, never grasped. God gives and I give thanks and I unwrap the gift given: Joy",  "Thanks is what multiplies the joy and makes any life large."

Starting May 1st join me in the challenge to write down three things you are thankful for everyday and see if you have more Joy in your life! They can be the littlest of things, here are some she wrote that I thought were so small yet I smiled that she gave thanks for:

                                       2. Jam piled high on the toast
                                     22. Mail in the mailbox
                                     38. Wool sweaters with turtleneck collars
                                   943. Stepping over a dog when coming in through the dark

I wanted to end this post with a song that was played yesterday morning at my women's bible study luncheon that brought tears to my eyes called 10,000 reasons by Matt Redman (this is an acoustic cover that I like). May your heart find 10,000 reasons to be thankful and bring Joy to your life no matter what situation you are currently in.