Daughters of Promise November/December 2014 | Page 19

much in life. (Now there’s a remedy for self-pity!)
Worship, praise, and gratitude embrace faith and
build belief. Worship causes our suffering to shrink in
our eyes, and elevates the God of the universe to His
rightful place.

Isn’t it great that gratitude has nothing to do with
our circumstances? Yes, that includes our outward
appearance, our bank account, the size of our
house, our husband or the absence of one, our job,
our church, etc. But a grateful heart does affect how
we view ourselves (our self-image), other women
(the comparison game), if and how we share our
home with others, etc.
Believe me, hospitality is
about caring for people, not showing off what you
have. Wow, isn’t that a relief? If we can develop
and live out of a heart of gratitude towards Christ, we
can demonstrate love and hospitality to anyone who
walks in our door.
Why do we prefer wearing our troubles and busy
schedules as a badge of honor instead of sharing the
victories and blessings the Lord has given us? Now
let me clarify something here. I am not promoting
fakeness. If you need to ask somebody to pray for
you and if you need help in your troubles, by all means
be honest and open with others, but consider your
motives for sharing. (James 5:16) I have discovered
that sometimes my motives for sharing my “issues” is
to look for affirmation or self-pity—maybe then I need
to confess that as sin and ask for prayer. If you share
your woes, do you want victory through prayer, or do
you just want coddling from others? I believe that
God calls His children to celebrate His goodness and
to freely testify of the good things that He does, so let
us practice that as the Spirit of God enables us.
Now that you have developed a heart of gratitude,
go shout it to the world! Testify! God has been good
to you! Do not keep it to yourself. Some of you
may think your Sunday services could use a bit more
energy. Let it start with you. You share what God
is doing for you, and watch what happens. “They
overcame him by the blood of the lamb, and by
the word of their testimony” (Revelation 12:11). You
want to be an overcomer! I am sure you do. Then
go testify, girl!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sandy Schwartz, wife of
Rich Schwartz, is a home
school mother of six
children ranging between
10 months and fifteen
years of age. In the flurry
of activity that includes
hosting guests “in season
and out of season,” she
has two options: bask in God’s presence, or
become a basket case. Her identity is most
certainly not wrapped up in the vehicle she
drives. You can spot her cruising the streets
of NYC in their 12 passenger van, otherwise
know as “the bus.” Sandy loves spending time
with her pastor, who is, incidentally, her best
friend and husband. She is unique--she gets
a thrill out of cleaning their church’s building.
A few of her favorite things are: frequent
belly laughs, banging out tunes on the piano,
drinking coffee, hearing of God’s work in other
womens’ lives, worshiping Her Savior, finding a
good bargain, and hanging out with her family.

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