Is gratitude your attitude?
www.mattandmelissapisani.com
@puzzleisreal
Is gratitude your attitude?
www.mattandmelissapisani.com
@puzzleisreal
Welcome to the Puzzle is Real podcast where we will be discussing faith, family, and relationships hosted by Matt and Melissa Paani. This is The Puzzle is real podcast. When you know, you know,
Speaker 2:Hey,
Speaker 3:Hey, how you doing?
Speaker 2:Come here often.
Speaker 3:Ah, maybe every once a week or so,<laugh> ha. Fancy meeting you here.
Speaker 2:I'm very thankful for you
Speaker 3:And I'm very grateful for you
Speaker 2:This week's episode.
Speaker 3:Yes.
Speaker 2:Gratitude is the attitude.
Speaker 3:I like it
Speaker 2:Cheesy, it rhymes and it is the truth.
Speaker 3:Yeah, let's talk about it.
Speaker 2:Well, we were having a really good conversation about what we're thankful for and I've gotten a lot sier with my gratitude and I think this is good, is that I feel like I really appreciate nature much more than I did when I was younger.
Speaker 3:I don't think that's cheesy. I think that's just you realizing what's around you and you not taking the time maybe prior cuz you had foggy goggles on.
Speaker 2:Yeah, well that's, I think what I was trying to get at too was the idea that what may seem cheesy was probably more or less just things that were, um, distracting me from appreciating God's creation and things that are, are so simple but yet so beautiful. And again, years of being drunk, being high before I came back to the Lord, I missed on a lot of good stuff. And I've said this to Melissa before that I, I really, um, I never want that to happen again. I never want to feel like I'm missing out and so many years of just being in cool places, doing cool things, but no recollection of it cuz I always was impaired or, uh, wasted. So praise God for being delivered of that. And I say that with humility, not to be silly or funny, but just to be like, wow, what a great way to be able to live with a sober mind and a clear perspective on God's goodness, his details, the minor things and the big things. And we just wanted to really talk about how to find ways to continue to give thanks to God for all that he's doing.
Speaker 3:Yeah. And just to find joy and contentment. I think what you can only really find that is when you're in his presence because that's everlasting. That is just what's written in his word, is just the truth and it's a promise. And when you're praying to him and you're just having that quiet time with him where you're just listening or you're journaling, I think that's where the true um, just peace comes over you just knowing that he's in control and then it gives you just the opportunity to go deeper with him and to just open your eyes. Right? Like Matt was saying, to like really look at the details of what's right around us. And I'm, right now I just had the image of, you know, Matt and I's Wedding. We got married in the Rocky Mountains in
Speaker 2:Park
Speaker 3:Colorado and where we got married it was outdoor venue. I mean just the majesty of that whole setting. It was just unreal. Like it
Speaker 2:Was like a green screen. Yes. It didn't look real. It was and a Bob Ross painting Yeah. At the highest level
Speaker 3:Really. It really was. And everyone who was there was like, oh my goodness. Like the pictures just didn't no justice. Like you have to see it with your own eyes and you know, you think about the ocean, you think about all this stuff when you're in that presence it's like you feel the overwhelming just, um, I I guess how just God is so much greater than we can ever even imagine by just looking at all that he's created.
Speaker 2:Yeah. You think about how everyone documents traveling and like, oh look at this awesome place I'm at right now. And, and the pictures don't do it justice, but there's so many people out there that are taking these pictures and don't even realize who the creator is. Right. They've been in this funk or, or maybe they've just never had an encounter with God, but like God has created so many beautiful things for us to enjoy natural things. We had, um, went to Lake Tahoe. Mm. That place is unreal. If you've ever
Speaker 3:Been to Lake
Speaker 2:Tahoe,
Speaker 3:So beautiful.
Speaker 2:Um, just again places that, that are right here in our country that are gorgeous and we've been out of the country and gone to different places where we've seen beauty. So yeah, there's just something about that. And we just wanted to encourage everyone listening that seek God and, and continue to give thanks cuz he is good and his love endures forever. And, and it's um, it's so important that we walk in gratitude. It truly should be our daily routine, the gift thanks in and out of season even when things are lousy and they're not going in our favor. Mm-hmm.<affirmative> give thanks, continue to acknowledge that, that God is, is here. He's, he's constantly moving on our behalf. He is the way maker. And and that's something that, you know, we just really thought would be important to remind our listeners, our friends too, our, our puzzles real family. That that gratitude is something that we can practice and we can teach others about it.
Speaker 3:Yeah. And I think as our world kind of spirals out of control at times, people are gonna look to us as believers and they'll ask the questions. Cuz obviously not everyone's gonna know we're believers, but if they see that we're in this like, peaceful mindset, cuz we know who's on the throne, we know where we're going and we know who's in control, um, that's gonna point people to him as just by us being different and not being of the world where we're frazzled and depressed and fearful, we're like, no, you know what, yes, we might have real human emotions when we're going through certain things and we see things on the news or whatever, but we ultimately know that our creator, um, knows the beginning and the end and we have to just, I guess just sit back and realize that he's got it all worked out.
Speaker 2:Amen.
Speaker 3:And we have to trust him.
Speaker 2:So that, that's Psalm 1 0 7, 1, give thanks to the Lord for his good, his loving doors forever. That's definitely something that, you know, still resonates today. Right. And then the one that I also wanted to lean on for us when it comes to like being hopeful, cause a lot of times it's hard to give thanks when you lose hope, but it's also important that as we, we hope in the Lord he's gonna renew our strength and just as it states in Isaiah 40 31, the they will soar on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not be faint. So for those of us to hope in the Lord, he's gonna renew our strength and he's even gonna renew our gratitude. I believe that as, as we go through trials and different challenges, man, you appreciate things so much more when you get outside of that crazy trial or that crazy moment where you're like, oh man, this can get any worse. And then you boom, God just delivers you of that and you're walking in freedom and gratitude is on your heart. You're, you're acknowledging mm-hmm.<affirmative> that if it wasn't for God, you wouldn't be walking in that gratitude. You'd probably have bitterness and, and resentment towards, you know, whatever your situation is.
Speaker 3:Yeah. And even going through hard times. And then once you get to the other side and you realize, wow, if I wouldn't have gone through that, I wouldn't appreciated, I wouldn't have appreciated everything that I have now. Because when you're in the trial, you think, oh my gosh, my life's over. This is never gonna get better. And then you look back, you're like, thank God for that, because then this happened and that happened. And then you wouldn't have the right perspective if you wouldn't have gone through those to appreciate what you do have. And like, one thing for all my ladies, my mom's out there, you know, you go through nine months of ha you know, being pregnant with a child and you know, some women have terrible pregnancies, terrible labor experiences, birthing experiences. But on the other side, it's like God's promise is there is like that beautiful child. So it's like we endure so much and sometimes he gives us that physical pain and that physical reminder just like Jesus did, right? Mm-hmm.<affirmative>, he like suffered just like we suffered. But the end result is you end with the father by going through him. So I know when I look at our kids, I'm just reminded of just his, his power and just his detail and just looking at every little detail of their faces and their personalities and just the crevices on their ears and just how he perfectly designed each and every single person and thing on this planet and inner universe to his accord. And that is just such a powerful mind blowing reminder of just who he is. And the fact that he wants to be close to us is very humbling and definitely puts me in a grateful place because I'm like, wow, you want a relationship with me and you've created it all. Like how powerful. And he wants it with everyone, which is just, it's just the most incredible, just even thought like I, I literally, I get mind blown. I'm like, whoa, P mind is blown. Yeah.
Speaker 2:It's, it's unreal. And man, what a cool role we get to play to share this with others and to say, yeah, I'm thankful. And I even think of recently I got up early Bible app, boom, what's there? Isaiah 40 31, right? This one of my favorite verses that I was just referring to, but those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. This is the new living translation version. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run in that grow area. They will walk and not faint. So I felt, God wake me up early. You ever feel like you gotta get up early and just spend time with God? And I got up on my bike, back on my bike, I'm healed and I am restored and I'm looking both ways and I'm keeping my eyes on the road when I'm on my bike.<laugh>, that's from a previous episode, you'll have to listen. So I'm on the bike and what do I see near the local shopping center? A straight up bald eagle, America's bird sitting on a branch.
Speaker 3:That's so cool.
Speaker 2:And I just felt God just giving me that joy. I stopped, I took pictures to share with Melissa and with the family. And it's just so cool when God like just even reminds you of how he's in every detail from that app, that pre-program that this verse was gonna come out on the day that I was gonna get up early<laugh>. That's so cool. Ride my bike randomly by the shopping center and see a bald eagle sitting on the branch. My favorite bird to go and try to see that you always look for and rarely see. And I see it. And it just again brought us back to this thankfulness of just this creation. And, and the list goes on whether you like to go, you know, whale watching or just sit in your backyard and, and watch the birds at the bird feeder, you know, seek God, and, and also look at the things around us to say, wow. Like what do I have to be thankful for today? There's gotta be something that you can see with just right outside your door. We're like, wow, this is awesome.
Speaker 3:Yeah, it's so cool. Like even this morning, you know, I didn't wanna wake up, you know, this whole time change, daylight saving things. I think it messes everyone up for a couple days. It's not fun. It's not fun. So I had to take mercy to her homeschool group and I woke up and it was like the sun was coming up and there was like this beautiful like Amber Golden color coming through our window and I was just literally thanking him this morning. Like, wow, like just thank you for waking me up this morning. Thank you for this beautiful sunrise that I don't often get to see. But um, you know, now because of daylight saving times, we got to see it. Hello. But it's just being grateful for the little things and as a reminder when we are going through the storm to change that perspective and not focus on what you know you're going through in that moment, but to really thank God for what he is doing and what is he's going to do through that hard time. I think that's where we need to land as believers and as others who are distressed and going through hard times is like, we have to look differently in those. And not saying we're not gonna have weak moments, we of course are we're human, but don't stay there. I think that's our job is to get out of that and to have that grateful, thankful heart. Because gratitude should be our attitude
Speaker 2:And his love endures forever
Speaker 3:And ever and ever. Like each time ever, ever, ever. Yeah. It's crazy.
Speaker 2:So we just again, wanted to challenge everyone today that give thanks, find something to be thankful for. We know it's not Thanksgiving, we're not talking about that here, but every day we should be thankful. We should be getting on our knees if we can physically and just thank God for just giving us a new day to be an inspiration to someone else, to encourage someone else mm-hmm.<affirmative> and just to be thankful for those around us. And, and we just thank each of you for, for sharing these episodes and sharing this vision with us for a family faith relationship style podcast where hopefully you're getting something out of these episodes that it's not us, but God speaking to you on something that you've been pondering or maybe something that he's been pressing on you.
Speaker 3:Yeah. And we just appreciate you guys so much and can't wait to share more. And if there's ever a topic you want us to talk about, shoot us a DM at Puzzle is real and uh, yeah, we will be back here soon.
Speaker 1:Hey guys, thanks so much for listening to the Puzzle Real podcast. Please subscribe today and share with a friend. See you soon.