A Happy Heart

• A little devotion for you that helped me along my day today:

This is from Hold You, Mommy:


Have you ever watched "Madame Blueberry," a VeggieTales movie? We have watched it often here at our house.

This chubby little blueberry is blessed to have friends who bear with her, a great tree house and lots of fun stuff. But she can't see any of her blessings b/c she is blindly consumed by what she doesn't have. She is "blue" with envy!

When given a showy invite to the new "Stuff Mart," she accepts it and proceeds to buy one of everything. On the way, she meets a couple of remarkable children. One is happy just having her family there for her birthday, even though she isn't receiving any gifts. The other is sad for a moment when his dad tells him they can't afford the train set, but then he accepts it and moves on.

She is stunned by the gratefulness of these children and their ability to keep a smile on their faces even when they didn't get any stuff. You'll have to watch it to know the ending, but without ruining it for you, Madame Blueberry finally realizes that a thankful heart is a happy heart.

Unfortunately, I'm afraid that I can relate all too well to Madame Blueberry. You probably can too. It's easy to look at the home of a friend and decide you couldn't possibly invite her over to your house because it isn't as put together as hers. Or we can look at how others dress and decide we must go shopping....ASAP.

Maybe your friend's children are more polite than your kids. So, the next day, you make a whole new list of rules and spring them on your unknowing children. It could be that another husband treats his wife more lovingly or seemingly with more care and concern, and you let the thought run through your mind that you are married to a clod. =)

All of these thoughts are based on what someone else has that we wish we had. During those times of wanting, the cure is to remember that a thankful heart is a happy heart.

I sometimes think that thankfulness is reserved for thank you cards and thanksgiving day and special notes to show you care. But EVERY DAY is an occasion for gratefulness. A thankful heart can change your whole perspective. Philippians 4:6 says " do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks."

So in the good times and in the bad, thank Him. Along with your requests, worries, and fears, remember to count your blessings as well, because a thankful heart really is a happy heart!



Lord, you know our tendency to look at the lives of others and throw a pity party for ourselves because our lives don't appear to be a rosy as theirs. Forgive us Lord, for assuming that others don't have struggles. Help us to pray for others. Help us to see their hearts, instead of only seeing our wants. Remind us to be thankful for all you have done for us. You have blessed us in so many ways; help us to see them. Thank you for Jesus. It's because of Him that we even have the ability to bring our requests to you. Thanks Lord. In Jesus name, amen.

I am thankful for these guys!