"Joy is always a function of gratitude- and gratitude is always a function of perspective. If we are going to change our lives, what we're going to have to change is the way we see."- Ann Voskamp, 1000 Gifts
How easy it is to be negative. I was born with a negative gene in a mostly happy family. I was so negative that all my Dad prayed for when my Mom was pregnant the second time was a happy baby. (He told me this once as a joke; however, as I think back to my young years as I can remember them, I have to wonder if he really was joking. And he got his prayer in Holly...) But what's fun about negativity? What's so great about bringing a storm cloud with you? It makes you tired, makes everyone around you miserable, and is completely unbiblical. We are supposed to "make a joyful noise until the Lord." "The joy of the Lord is your strength." Joy is promised to us as a fruit of the spirit, but to be honest, there are lots of times when I don't feel so stinking joyful. In fact, I feel just plain stinky.
Then I read 1000 Gifts. It is eloquently written, above my head. I've blogged about it before. It makes you think of plain old ordinary life as something special, another topic I've mentioned in this blog. And as you start looking for the positive in things, looking at what you can be thankful about in a situation rather than what you can complain about, it happens. A small seed of joy starts sprouting, because deep down you realize it's not as bad as what you thought. In fact, you've got it pretty doggone good.
One of my resolutions was to keep a gratitude journal, so I was excited when I went to Voskamp's blog and found a recipe for gratitude. 31 days worth of things to be thankful for. I quickly wrote them down and caught up to today, except for day 3, and to be honest, I don't have the memory to think of three things I overheard that day that I found grace in. Guess I'll just have to do a better job eavesdropping tomorrow... and cover my ears when my husband yells, "Dadburnit" at the ballgame tomorrow night. Grin.
Just to give you some ideas, in case you'd be interested in taking this journey along with me, some of the things I've been thankful for this last week are: my weaknesses, snow and heat (on the same day... and leftover cake from New Year's Eve)... my new Bible, my blue Uggs, and my old computer that my Dad bought me so I could get through graduate school (all gifts from someone else), Jesus Calling, and my job. A wide range of things, and there are many other interesting things in the rest of the month. Because it's all about you looking at the ordinary... that's when you realize that, to you, it is extraordinary. And in the extraordinary, we see grace, and when we focus on grace... well, there's joy. Joy unspeakable.
Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
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