The thought from above in this episode is: “Give thanks in all circumstances.” Following up on his last episode, James Bryan Smith takes a deeper dive into appreciative thinking vs depreciative thinking. He begins with a quote from Adrian van Kaam to help explain his thought from above. “The way we look at our lives determines how we live.” How we choose to view our lives will in turn impact how we will live them out. What Smith argues for is that we need to live with a constant sense of gratitude.

Smith goes on to say that, “We have to change the way we think. Setting our minds on things above is changing the way we think. This has to work even in the midst of difficulty.” We have a tendency to automatically think depreciatively in life, but when we make the switch it makes all the difference.

Smith closes the episode with a quote from Joni Erickson; “The splash-overs of heaven are finding Jesus in your struggle. and to find Jesus in your struggle is ecstasy beyond compare…”

Related episodes:
1. Rejoice Always
2. Roots in the Future
3. Conversation with Emily P. Freeman Part 3
4. Conversation with Juanita Rasmus
5. Indebted to Hope