It has the power to change everything. Yep, spelled it like that on purpose. It often single-handedly changes...my attitude. Another confession: I'm prone to negativity. It's a battle that never quits in me. My strength is finding room and areas for improvement. My weakness is never letting things be good enough. And I'm female. So let's add the constant struggle with contentment. Or maybe that's just me too. In the midst of my fault-finding, I quickly spiral into nothing in my life is good enough. Add a little hormonal influence, and it's over.
Then I start bulleting the good:
- The sun was out today.
- I have a husband that loves me.
- He's extremely good-looking.
- We enjoy spending time together.
- He doesn't see the negativity that I do.
- My husband makes me laugh and lightens my emotional load often.
- He does dishes!!!! And he never complains about it.
Those are just the things I can see. We haven't even touched all the things I can't see: my salvation, how God loves me, the fact that the hairs on my head are numbered, etc. That's an amazing existence. Who cares what I didn't accomplish today or what I seemed to be missing out on? Does it matter to anyone but me that I seem "behind" in some areas of life? Should it? I think of Solomon's writings in Ecclesiastes where everything pretty much boils down to "work hard and enjoy your quick, quiet existence". That's my translation, clearly. But I see the beauty in what he's saying. This season in this existence of mine is sweet. I'm trying to capture moments in my memory album to look back on as I live them. I will look back on this season with fondness. So why not be grateful now for what it is?
And even be grateful now for what it isn't.
See? Gratitude helps me see the good in my "now". It keeps me from beating myself up about what's not in it or whining about what I don't have.
How does gratitude change your perspective? What does it save you from?
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