gratitude

So this topic is something that we are all aware of but sometimes forget about. This week I want us to focus on gratitude.

It’s confession time with Raema…So, I have not been the kindest person to be around lately. I have been short with my kids and cold to my husband. Both of these things are not ok, but I want to show you that I am human and fall short and I am ok with admitting that. I can come up with a million reasons why it’s justifiable but the truth is that none of them are justifiable reasons. So, why the attitude? Well, first go back to my post about choices, then come back and read this one.

God showed me that I haven’t been very grateful for the things that I have or the people that God has blessed me with. We live in a society that bombards us with images, commercials, tv shows, movies etc that tell us that we don’t “have enough” or what we do have isn’t “good enough” that we aren’t pretty enough or skinny enough, that we don’t have enough money, that our spouses are the problem that our lives aren’t what we want them to be. If we are trying to live up to those standards we are going to fail every single time.

What is the solution? Be happy with where you are now. Yes, it’s good to have goals, something to work towards and to achieve. If you are unhappy with where you are don’t sit and complain about it and blame everything else around you, do something to make a change. If you are overweight, learn self control and exercise and eat healthier. If you aren’t happy in your marriage, learn to communicate with your spouse. Learn to work as a team instead of putting all the blame on them. The list can go on and on. God never promised us that life would be easy, but when things get hard He has the solution to get us through.

I personally need to be thankful for what I do have. I am truly blessed. My kids are healthy, my husband loves me, is faithful to me and is a Godly man. I have amazing friends that will support me in anything that I do, I have a beautiful house (and I am thankful to have a house, when some people have lost everything they have in storms over the past couple months), I have a great family and I have a God that loves me enough to be patient with me even when I am ungrateful for what He has blessed me with.

So this week here is the challenge, make a list of all of the things that you are grateful for and why. When you begin to thank God for what you have, you stop looking at what you don’t have. Wake up every day and thank God for another day to live. You never know when your last day will be, so be thankful for today and try to out-love those around you. And when you fall short don’t beat yourself up, just pick up and try again. It’s never too late to say you’re sorry or that you love someone. Don’t look back and regret what you were too stubborn to do (that line was for me).

I would like to introduce you to your life, now live it to its fullest. Be an active participant and not an observer.