Giving Thanks when you aren't appreciated

Give thanks to the Lord; for He is good. Psalm 118:29

Thank
Him
Alone,
Never-ending
King and
Savior

I found this quote this morning while googling "Give Thanks". I was looking for an inspirational quote to go on my door at work. Sometimes at work we need a good word; a small guesture that someone appreciates what we do.

Working at a mental health center can be challenging; we deal with all sorts of problems, and some even come from the clients! The hardest thing for me is to keep a positive attitude while dealing with co-workers who are less than positive or act more unhealthy than the clients we serve. I have come to expect challenges with clients; they just need someone to help them and they recognize that fact. Some co-workers, however, have no idea that they need to learn from what we teach our clients. The hard part, like Step One from AA, is admitting that we have a problem. I am admitting that my problem is dealing with folks who are supposed to be professionals and who blatantly continue in negative behaviors even when they are pointed out. It drives me nuts!!

Negative behaviors and thought patterns come in all shapes and sizes:
Narcissistic people who think the world revolves around them....and their clothes or makeup;
Histrionic people who love drama and will create it when it does not exist;
Borderline people who love you one minute and hate you the next.

You can probably tell that I've been reading Emotional Vampires again. I really love that book and how it tells you to deal with difficult people. But my main question now is, What do I do when it happens that the vampire is me?

I find myself being narcissistic at times, I find myself being histrionic at times and heaven help us when I'm being borderline!! My poor co-workers sure have to put up with alot in dealing with me!

The one thing that I have noticed about myself is that when I find that I'm bothered by someone else's behavior or actions, I need to look at myself. And then I need to admit that I am the problem! I can't control anyone other than myself; others have the right to act anyway they chose and so do I. It is up to me to choose how I am going to act and speak....even during difficult times.

In these difficult financial times, many of us are finding it hard to make ends meet. Everything costs more. It seems that we are making less even when our paycheck hasn't changed. The danger here is to begin to feel overworked and under-appreciated. When those feelings begin to seep in, our behaviors and speech can either reinforce the negative thoughts or we can choose to "Give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good!" It is easy for us to blame others for our reactions and attitudes but do we really listen to God when He tells us to rejoice and thank Him just because He is good?

Another nugget from the AA Big Book:

And acceptance is the answer to all my problems today. When I am disturbed, it is because I find some person, place, thing or situation -- some fact of my life -- unacceptable to me, and I can find no serenity until I accept that person, place, thing or situation as being exactly the way it is supposed to be at this moment. Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God's world by mistake. Until I could accept my alcoholism, I could not stay sober; unless I accept life completely on life's terms, I cannot be happy. I need to concentrate not so much on what needs to be changed in the world as on what needs to be changed in me and in my attitudes.

Changing our attitude to match up with gratitude is the answer for then we can accept that nothing, and I mean NOTHING, can happen in God's world without his knowledge and forebearance.

Lord, help me to accept myself and the others around me. Help me to look inside myself and find gratitude for You and Your goodness when I am disturbed. Help me to help others by helping myself stay in touch with You and Your words. In Christ's name, Amen!