Gratitude

I have been convicted.

I taught Sunday School yesterday on the Israelites and their rebellion about entering Canaan. I asked the question about attitudes and preconceptions affecting our situations and experiences. And how to keep a positive perspective, even when life looks hard.

And one lady made the comment about gratitude and it has stuck with me. Isn't that pretty much the answer?

How you can grumble about a situation and crabby and pessimistic and see the worst in the situation if we are grateful? It's hard to complain when you have a grateful spirit.

OUCH!!!!!

So D is home late tonight, I'm guessing something didn't go well in the woods. I don't know what, but I know it involved unloading and reloading and that's usually not a normally occurrence, so... I have a choice. I can be grumpy because I don't know if we can wait to eat until he gets home and I just don't want to get supper on and eat by ourselves. Or I can be grateful he had work all day today, and that he tackled what needed to be done and that, Lord willing, he will be home later. And if we need to eat, it will be perfectly okay.

I can grumble and be discontent that this pregnancy has once again landed me on the couch or I can choose to be grateful that so far this baby is still growing and developing as he should inside and not outside in a NICU.  Let's just say, that really helps put things in perspective.

And days when I am discouraged with the job of mothering a high-energy two-year old, I only need to stop and think and really look at her. Then I see a very, Very, VERY chatty little person who is developing her own personality, who loves her music and her schoolwork and was just working on developing her muscles with resistance band (which by the way have got to be about the best toy ever). And when I stop and look, I see a mom who is so blessed beyond measure with a little girl who is mostly good and cheerful and busy and developing on schedule  and then I wonder, what did I do to deserve this?

There are so many things to be grateful for in life and I want to make a commitment to see the good in each day. There are way too many negative people in this world who seem to delight in seeing the worst in every situation. And I've been there, done that, and it isn't that fulfilling or satisfying. I would much prefer to be that annoyingly grateful, optimistic person.

I have tried a bit of this with my Instagram account of trying to post the little moments or the happy moments of the day.

And now, my little girl has climbed up on my legs and is "sitting on mom's lap" behind my computer, going, "ready, set, go." I don't know where she learned that or her other new favorite of "let's race".