God is worthy of praise all day, every day, by everything that has breath. I wish I could say this is true for me. The reality is the last couple of months have been filled with frustration, overwhelm, and crabbiness.

I consider myself generally a positive person. Yet, it is still easy to let negativity take over. It is easy to focus on what is not going my way. It is easy to get snippy with others. It becomes hard to even consider praise. Researcher and psychologist John Gottman says it takes 5 positive statements to overcome one negative. I have some work to do.

Lord, work has been frustrating. I praise you.

Lord, my body is changing in ways I don’t like. I praise you.

Lord, my confidence is shaken. I praise you.

Lord, I am surrounded by family and friends. I praise you.

Lord, I am healthy. I praise you.

Lord, I have you with me in all things. I praise you.

^1-6 Hallelujah!
Praise God in his holy house of worship,
    praise him under the open skies;
Praise him for his acts of power,
    praise him for his magnificent greatness;
Praise with a blast on the trumpet,
    praise by strumming soft strings;
Praise him with castanets and dance,
    praise him with banjo and flute;
Praise him with cymbals and a big bass drum,
    praise him with fiddles and mandolin.
Let every living, breathing creature praise God!
    Hallelujah! (Psalm 150 MSG).

Worthy of praise is the Lord and when I choose that in the midst of everyday, I find a peace and comfort to carry on. I find confidence to persevere. I find hope. It can take me a hot minute to remember to focus on praise, but when I do my entire demeanor changes so significantly that I feel it within my body.

Do you celebrate the one worthy of praise? Do you get stuck in negativity? Are you willing to try praise? Share your story here and breathe life and bring hope to others.