Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy

This is life changing. When you look for the positives insteD of the negatives, it changes you whole outlook on life. We need to be grTeful for what we have, not complaining about what we don't have. That makes life a joy.

I do like this book for some helpful ideas. However It so far sounds like we must do the work to choose gratitude. We only through Jesus Christ "Christ in me" can choose gratitude. So this book feels like works but I am trying to look at the book through the lense of God working through me to choose Gratitude. Not my own choice because The Gospel message is a gift not a works.

Though the overview of this book clearly professes that, when grateful, "we are mindful of the benefits [we have] received from our gracious Savior" and that, when we are thankful, we recognize "the freedom Christ has provided [to us]," I was not prepared for how targeted this book is for a Christian-only audience.

While I take no offense when an author writes for a very specific audience, I often found myself wondering what Ms. DeMoss' intention is as she continually reinforces the idea that "Christian gratitude" is somehow different in essence than or even morally superior to gratitude coming from a non-Christian. If gratitude is ultimately a deep acknowledgement of and thankfulness for the benefits that we have received, what does it matter if the spiritual form to which we offer our humble thanks is a Christian God or a god or goddess of a different faith?

Nevertheless, when I filter out the dominant Christian orientation of the book, Ms. DeMoss does share some insightful and interesting perspectives that, of course, apply to all human beings regardless of religious affiliation. One of these perspectives is the importance of testimony--of testifying to one's experience and asking for help through grace. As Ms. DeMoss explains it, testimony has four primary parts:

1. We share honestly the distress that we find ourselves in
2. We reflect on how God may be using these circumstances for our own spiritual growth and development
3. We humble ourselves to cry to God for help in alleviating our distress
4. We open ourselves in faith so that we may be aware of/attuned to God's deliverance of grace to us, in whatever form(s) He may choose for our benefit

What I very much appreciate here is how Ms. DeMoss emphasizes how important it is for us to be honest about and share how we are experiencing our lives (our distress) and not to force ourselves to bypass (suppress) our very natural feelings out of some false belief that we should feel and act grateful right away no matter what. Her view of gratitude is most definitely an organic process that necessarily entails sharing our distress without judgment in order to let it go and create the space to receive God's grace and return to love, integrity, and gratitude. As Psalm 30 says, "You turned my lament into gratitude." Ms. DeMoss clearly puts forth a compassionate process for doing this that honors how we process experience while at the same time not letting us avoid the more challenging next step of taking personal responsibility for our experience and choosing a path back to love and gratitude.

There are a number of other moments of insight as well that I am grateful for. I particularly love her emphasis on the importance of living our lives to create a moral memory--that is, a memory that is filled with and radiating triumphs of morality in our lives: of love, compassion, service, faith, and hope. Especially in a world where we are bombarded by influences attempting to persuade us to focus our attention on creating instant gratification memories or to join in the divisiveness that splits not only people from one another but also splits our own consciousness, I respect Ms. DeMoss for emphasizing how important it is to make choices that dissolve the illusions we carry of right and wrong and what we or others are owed. Instead, we can choose to refocus our energies on connecting with our hearts, developing our capacity for gratitude and service no matter what the circumstances are, and building our faith in a divine presence that loves us and seeks unity with us at all times. In this way, to borrow from a passage in Colossians Ms. DeMoss shares in her book, we share in--and invite others into--the "saints' inheritance of the light" (Colossians 1:12).

On the other hand, the largest challenge I encountered in this book was that the core of what Ms. DeMoss shares could easily have been expressed more concisely in a book at least half as many pages. She repeats herself often, making only minor tweaks to her phrasing, and eventually I found myself wondering if she as an author was being grateful for me as a reader by not wasting my time with filler in order to make her handful of admittedly good ideas book-length.

Similarly, while the 30-Day Devotional Guide started out strong, after about 10 days it began to get repetitive as well. I believe there are many other ways to lead readers through these 30 days than the way Ms. DeMoss chose. At the same time, I have to admit that pulling a program like this off is difficult and does take skill. In fact, very few self-help books that attempt a program such as this actually are successful from a pedagogical point of view. (One of the few, I believe, is Denise Linn's Soul Coaching: 28 Days to Discover Your Authentic Self.)

All in all, yes, I believe this book could have benefited greatly from a different editing approach, a more learning-oriented 30-Day Devotional Guide, and less emphasis on "Christian gratitude" as different than or superior to other kinds. At the same time, I had valuable insights as a result of reading "Choosing Gratitude," and am grateful that we crossed paths.

Choosing Gratitude by Nancy Leigh DeMoss is a great read. If you are a fan of her writing, you will not be disappointed in this book. I thought I was a generally grateful person, once I read this book I realized how much work I need to do in my own life.

I'm not going to sugar coat this; if you read this book, be prepared for conviction almost instantly. She starts by pointing out that "gratitude feels optional...an acceptable sin," and then clearly shows that an ungrateful heart is a sinful heart. On page 24, the author describes how our whining and complaining attitudes are from our lack of the Holy Spirit. I was particularly struck by her use of Romans 1:21, where Paul lists ingratitude along with the "terrible sins". I don't often think of ungratefulness as a "terrible sin" but it is.

At the end of chapter 3, I was feeling like a complete ingrate! I can see so many things in my own life that need to change. I was relieved to discover some reasons for gratitude and why it is so important in our daily lives. I had never really thought about the fact that Jesus was giving thanks at the Last Supper. He knew what would happen to Him that night, yet He was grateful. Would we be grateful if we were facing the same circumstances?

The author also connects our gratitude with our prayer life. This was an aspect of gratitude I had never considered before. "If you've always wanted prayer to be as natural as breathing, then pave the way with gratitude." It's true. If we have a thankful hearts we want to commune with the One who gives all good things. The author also challenges us to give thanks not only to God but to also to other people. On p. 119 she points out that Paul thanks people in all but 4 epistles. The thankful example of Paul was preserved in Scripture for a reason.

An especially great part of this book is that it includes a 30 day devotional in the back of the book. Each day includes a scripture reading and a small devotional. At the end is a challenging statement to help you reflect on the gratitude in your life each day.

I highly recommend this book for anyone looking to increase the gratitude in their own life. Truly, this is an area everyone can improve on in their own life. Get this book and begin your journey to joy!

This lovely book offers practical advice for getting on the bright side. The author encourages the reader with many short true stories of people who faced difficult circumstances but found a way to be grateful anyway. The very act of gratitude is life transforming. It is like putting a smile on instead of the frown you’ve been wearing. This book was recommended to me by a friend who was deeply touched by its message. After four decades of marriage, she was left by her husband. It was devastating. She did an the store search and found Choosing Gratitude. It was like a life-line. Soon she found herself anchoring her thoughts in gratitude. It took a lot of prayer and effort but when the dark thoughts came or the pity-party started, gratitude became her resource to chase the gloom and doom away. Gratitude is a choice. This is a spiritual book.

I recently began reading, slowly and carefully, Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. I have to admit too I have really had to be honest with myself as I read, as to how grateful my heart is and how grateful it should be. Nancy states again and again:

Choosing to have a grateful heart in and through all circumstances is a choice. It takes intentional effort on our part and doesn’t just happen. If we’re not choosing gratitude we are choosing ingratitude – no middle ground here.

Throughout this book I was reminded to exercise gratitude in every moment of every day. Not just for the meal and the home, that new book I wanted or the other “stuff” that we have. I was encouraged to really dig deeper; look at those simple little things in each day: the breath I breathe, my salvation, baptism in Jesus name that washed me, the power of the Holy Ghost that allows me to daily be refreshed in Him; what a blessing Jesus is. Wind on a warm day; light rain falling on my garden and baby apple trees; dogs to clean the kids lunch off the floor (haha). And more and more I found myself simply being thankful for knowing Him as I do and being His chosen one. I do not ever want to forget what a blessing my Saviour is. More than enough.

As I have been reminded as I read, and in some cases shouldn’t I know by now? *ouch*
There is a song we have been singing a lot lately in our church that I am reminded of when I read the quote above: “Lift up your hands and sing for joy, clap your hands make a joyful noise; blow the trumpet and shout…praise Him for the victory….the weapons we use are not bombs and guns…worship is the way the battle is one…..praise Him for the victory…”
Such a beautiful prayer; a promise to God to always remember how precious His gift to us is. A gentle reminder that we were bought with a price, we are His, not our own. Let us always seek for His will to be done, not our own will, and be ever in thanksgiving and praise to the One True and Living God. Where would we be without Him?

From the Publisher:
Gratitude is a choice. If we fail to chose it, by default we choose ingratitude. And once allowed into the heart, ingratitude does not come by itself but with a lot of other seedy companions that only succeed in stealing joy. To not choose gratitude - daily and deliberately - is more costly than we usually realize. And when we do choose a lifestyle of heartfelt, humble gratitude, we are mindful of the benefits received from our gracious Savior and those He has placed around us.

By intentionally thanking God and others, bitterness and entitlement are replaced with joy and the humble realization of just how undeserving we really are. Derived from a popular Revive Our Hearts radio series, Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy challenges and equips the reader to live a life of intention. A life based on thankfulness - for the freedom Christ has provided and for the blessings of others.

This is an amazing book, Nancy Leigh DeMoss has hit the nail on the head with this book. Gratitude is something that people are losing in today's society. We live in such a "me" oriented society today that we forget to look at the positive side of things. In her book, Ms. DeMoss first has you look deep into yourself to see where your heart is sitting with gratitude. She then takes you through step by step to start to look for the joy in every day life.

I like when she refers to ungrateful people as" Ungrateful people are much like a container that has a hole in it, leaking out every blessing that's been poured in". How many of us are leaking out our blessings?

In today's thankless society I think that every person, Christian or not needs to read this book! This book comes highly recommended. This book would make a great Bible Study, and contains a 30 day devotional as well.

I received this book free from the MP News Room . I was not required to write a positive review and the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Disclosure: I received this book free from the publisher, Moody Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

"Where does gratitude rank on your list of Christian values?" Author of Choosing Gratitude, Nancy Leigh DeMoss asks the readers. After reading Choosing Gratitude, I felt convicted to make gratitude a priority in Christian walk and I want to encourage others to do the same as well.

I loved how Nancy continually directs readers to the Gospel while explaining how gratitude ties in with the abounding grace poured out from the cross. As a younger Christian women, Nancy's wisdom on gratitude is priceless to my Christian walk- she clearly has a heart to help other christian women with thankfulness.

In one of her chapters Nancy gives eight solid reasons why we should chose gratitude. Would we rather be whiners or worshipers? Though I align more with the former, the latter is where I want to be. Wouldn't you?

To help you on your personal road to choosing gratitude, Nancy asks thought provoking questions to gauge your gratitude. I found these questions helpful and enlightening, when I answered honestly.

At the end of Choosing Gratitude, there is a 30-day devotional the reader can chose to use. I think the devotional would be a great bible study if properly facilitated and led by someone who values gratitude highly like the author.

Wonderful and Inspiring. Thank you Moody Publishers for the opportunity for review.

The author who brought you the book wonderful book, Lies Women Believe has done it again!
I thought I was always a glass half full sort of person, the one who always saw the bright side of things and found reasons to be thankful, but after reading Choosing Gratitude, by Nancy Leigh Demoss, I now realize how much work I still need to do in my life. Being such an easy, enjoyable, and thought provoking read, I had to make sure that I didn't fly through this book.
I wanted to share some of my favorite highlighted moments from the book (yes, I read this book with a highlighter in had):
"I have learned that in every circumstance that comes my way, I can choose to respond in one of two ways: I can whine -or- I can worship."
"Gratitude is a lifestyle. A hard-fought, grace-infused, biblical lifestyle."
"Truly, ingratitude is out first step away from God."
"(Referring to Colossians 3:17) Be thankful. God commanded it-for our good and for His glory."
"....in every situation...prayer+thanksgiving=peace."
"(Referring to Ephesians 5:20) No more, then, can we believe that a person who habitually gripes, murmurs, and worries about his pressures and problems, rather than "giving thanks always and for everything," is filled with the Spirit."
"Gratitude is often the only difference between pervasive sadness and pure satisfaction."
"Some grumble at why at why God put thorns on roses, while others wisely notice-with awe and gratitude-that God has put roses among thorns."
"When thou has thanked thy God for every blessing sent, What time will then remain for murmurs or lament?-R.C. Trench."
In this day and age, people are self entitled, thinking they deserve better and taking everything that they are blessed with for granted.One line that has really stuck with me is, "More than I deserve."
Oh, how our attitude and view of our situation would change it we only remembered that. I am a sinner and God has blessed me with more than I deserve.

At the end of one of the chapters she writes, "If you read this book from cover to cover, and are moved by the stories, nod your agreement, even say, 'that was a great book!'-and then simply move on with your life, my purpose in writing it will have failed. It is my intent to issue a call to a radically different way of thinking, living, viewing life, and responding to God's grace."
I think that about sums up the book, if you're looking for a good read this book is it, yes.
BUT if you are looking for a book that can (and if you put in the effort-will) change your attitude-your life, then this book is a definite read!

"I received a copy of this book from the publisher for the purpose of this review."

It would be inappropriate to start this review off without a big thank you to Moody Publishers for providing a complimentary copy of Choosing Gratitude in exchange for an honest review.
Author Nancy Leigh DeMoss has really done an exemplary job penning Choosing Gratitude: Your Journey to Joy. Joy eludes many as they grasp at chaff blowing in the wind in hopes of happiness. Ingratitude seems to be our culture's default setting. Blessings abound all around and yet, are all too often missed. The correlation between gratitude and joy is a concept that needs to be taught and learned. cultivated and practiced. When we choose to worship in thanksgiving, even in difficult circumstances, it can change our heart and perspective. One of the greatest aspects is that gratitude is not simply self-serving. It benefits us for being grateful yes, but, it also flows into the heart of others when we tangibly extend our gratitude.
DeMoss in no way condones a rose-colored glasses point of view because frankly, life can get sticky and stinky. In the face of death, we can choose gratefulness for being allowed the time we had with the individual or we can sulk and let darkness consume us. Choosing Gratitude means just what it says; we have a choice to choose gratitude and subsequently, joy will follow.
I appreciated DeMoss' frankness and compassion, which is often a paradox. There is this vulnerability she lends the book that allows the reader to connect with her, manifesting in a deep understanding, a shared secret. She knows pain, she knows life and she knows a woman's heart. Through biblical references and personal accounts that span a rather wide gamut, DeMoss brings clarity to the matter and practical application. Gratitude is something that needs to be nurtured within our hearts, cultivated to bloom.
Choosing Gratitude is a wonderful read. In the back is a 30-day devotional that will further your quest for joy. Just think, it takes 21 days to form a habit and DeMoss is giving you 30 days to instill a life-long habit of giving thanks and reaping joy. This would be a terrific book for many believers, especially for those that want to renew their relationship with the Lord. God has given us blessings out of His goodness. The question is: Do we acknowledge those gifts with unceasing thanks

Nancy Leigh Demoss has written a compelling book about how to have Joy in our lives. Gratitude is something we have to choose daily. Often it is not going to be our first thought when going through a trial or when something comes into our lives that gets us upset, worried, anxious, or depressed. The first part of this book has 9 chapters that develop the author's thoughts about how to purposely choose gratitude in your life. The second half of this book includes a 30-Day Devotional Guide that will help you to implement the ideas you've learned in the first half of the book.
I thought the author presented her thoughts well and helped to move the reader to consider the reader's own attitude toward others, circumstances and her relationship with God. The book was an easy read and definitely applicable to the reader's life. It's easy to take everything we've been given for granted. This book is a great reminder that God has blessed us with so much in life from possessions, to relationships, to life itself.

***I received this free book from Moody Publishers in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Author Nancy Leigh DeMoss is truly a woman after my own heart. In her new "our Journey to Joy" she confirms what I learnt many years ago. While recovering from housebound agoraphobia and chronic depression I had to learn to change my thoughts and focus on my blessings each day in order to get out of the rut that I had fallen in. For years, I have told my children that each day they have the choice to look for the good in each day or focus on the bad and it does make a significant mark on your attitude. A thankful, joyful heart cannot have pity parties. A thankful heart realizes that there are others worse off who may need us. Ms. DeMoss could not pick a more suitable person than Joni Eareckson Tada to write the lovely forward to her book. For those who don't know Joni, she experienced a horrendous accident as a teenager that left her quadriplegic for the rest of her life yet she uses her disability to honor God and the strength that he gives us. She has been an inspiration to millions, writing books, speaking and even drawing. A kind reminder that we all have something to be thankful for. I highly recommend Nancy Leigh DeMoss's book for anyone facing discouragement or heartache. She includes a 30 day devotional which can be used as tools to begin your new mindset. For those who have thought negative most of their lives, this can be a bit of a challenge but if you use these exercises daily, you will be surprised at how little time it takes to think successfully. I commend Nancy for realizing what seems to be a real problem among women today, negative thinking. By introducing scriptural references along with personal experience this book can be a gem for those seeking happiness. I was given the priviledge of reading this book for MP press in exchange for my honest opinions.