There was a time in my life when gratitude was at the forefront of my mind, I was desperate for God's grace and needed to focus on what I had, not what I wanted or thought I needed. I am currently in a season of plenty! I'm planning my wedding to the man of my dreams, my sister just moved from 2 hours away to 10 minutes away, I have the best job, live in a beautiful condo and want for nothing. But what have I been focusing on?? The fact that Nate's house hasn't sold and how stressful it would be to own 2 homes once we are married. I didn't realize how ungrateful I was acting until I read the Safe families newsletter this morning, here's an excerpt: "I'll never forget driving into our neighborhood with two elementary-age boys that I had just picked up from the office. They asked why every house had a garage, and without really thinking, I said that people liked to park their cards inside, especially in the winter. Eyes wide, they replied, "You mean everyone in this neighborhood has a car?!" Wow. I paused as I thought to myself, "No, everyone in this neighborhood has two cars, and some families with teenagers have three." Gratitude. It's humbling the things that I so easily take for granted."
Wow. That really hit home for me. The Lord has blessed Nate and me beyond belief and I have been focusing on one small "burden" instead of thanking the Lord for His many gifts. It honestly makes me a little nauseous to think how entitled I can feel; I deserve to have this process go smoothly, we deserve to have Nate's house sell quickly, we deserve a simple, easy life. Yuck.
Well enough of that! I am thankful for how the Lord works, I needed that newsletter today, something to hit me between the eyes and convict me of sinful thoughts and behaviors. I also need you, I need your accountability, prayers and encouragement. Let's work together to have grateful hearts. Gratitude is so simple, so difficult and so life-changing. With God's grace and help and patience, I'm going to start working on this again, will you help me?
Today:
I'm thankful for coffee, co-workers that are friends, and the gift of being able to work and serve at the same time.
Love you all, thanks for reading.
