I read this recently and it resonated with me because I know it's true. Gratitude and ingratitude are tied to what we notice. I can point to times in my life - some very recent, where I saw the negative. I focused on the hard things, the things I didn't like, the negative traits in people, the discouraging stuff happening in my life. It was no coincidence that these times were times of ingratitude. Times of bitterness and disappointment. Times of negativity. Dark times. Yes, these were times when I was struggling; times when hard stuff was happening in my life. But I have to wonder, did the things I notice make these periods in my life harder? Darker? More negative? What would it have been like if during these times of struggle, I would have focused on seeing the good?
I can also point to times in my life when I do see the good. Times when I focus on the positive things, the beauty around me, the good in people, the amazing things happening in my life. These are the times when I see God's presence in my life; when I see His hand in the ordinary. These are the times when I am filled with gratitude. True, these are times when life is a little easier; times when things are coming together in my life; times when I'm feeling good about myself. It's not like I don't have worries or struggles or problems during these times but, I'm not feeling overwhelmed. I have to wonder, are things better because I am choosing to see the good more than the bad? Are things better because I am choosing to feel gratitude for all that I have? To feel positive rather than focus on the negative?
When my daughters were very young, life was tough. It would have been easy to be negative; to be bitter and disappointed. It would have been easy to give up. But I didn't want to be that kind of Mom. So I kept a "Blessing Journal". Every night, I wrote down 3 blessings for the day - no matter what kind of day I had. Some nights, my blessings were pretty awesome. And some nights I had to work pretty hard to come up with 3. But I always found 3 things each night that I was grateful for - a bed to go to sleep in, a car that hadn't broken down that day, the bag of groceries left on the porch. My Blessing Journal helped keep me focused on the good in my life. It helped me see God's presence. It helped me remember all that I had to be thankful for - in the midst of the hard.
And now, 20 some years later, my Blessing Journals are fun to read. I have a pile of journals to browse through and remember all the things in my life that I have to be thankful for because, those things still exist in my life. It helps to remember just how faithful God was back in those days and to see that He continues to be faithful today.
I've lost that practice of journaling my blessings. It was a good one.
Gratitude and ingratitude are tied to what we notice. What do you notice?
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not
As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.
- “Great is Thy faithfulness!” “Great is Thy faithfulness!“
Morning by morning new mercies I see;
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided—
“Great is Thy faithfulness,” Lord, unto me!
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