Merry Christmas, everyone! Is it not the best time of year? The lights, the smells, the music... I love Christmas and always have. I'm not wild about crowded malls, but that's the only complaint I can really lodge.
I am doing my best to practice an 'attitude of gratitude' these days, and not just because it's the holiday season. You have to admit, though, Christmas is a great time of year to really test it out and learn how to live it, because even though things are especially lovely this time of year, you can't always say the same of people. They're stressed, they're in a hurry, you're in their way. I got brave and went to Wal-Mart just before midnight on Thanksgiving night. I lasted 10 minutes. I wasn't strong enough yet. I wanted to punt people. Just being honest.
This gratitude thing has become important to me because I've been sort of surrounded by the exact opposite this year. Have you ever met someone who is just determined to be unhappy? They think they have it worse than anybody else. They're furious that not everything is going their way. They blame their mistakes on everyone but themselves. They anticipate the worst, and therefore always find it. They suffer from Martyr Syndrome.
I can only take so much of it. I realized I had my fill about a month ago. Enough of that. I want to be the opposite. I want to be different. I want to find the good in things. Stop being such a downer! I had a friend who used to say to me, when I'd start on a whining streak, "Get off the cross; someone else needs the wood." I never figured out if that was a sacrilegious statement or not, but I got what she meant. "Get over yourself." Boy, do I need the grace of God to get over myself!
In November, I traveled to Georgia to see my friends Linda and Shaunti. I've been friends with Shaunti for about 8 years, and I've been doing some freelance work for her for about 5 years. Linda is Shaunti's staff director, and for years we were friends over the phone and through email, finally meeting in person in 2009. God orchestrated these friendships. They came about and have played out in such a unique way (that's another blog post), but somehow we're very close. These two women know me inside and out - I can share anything with them. They've mentored me, and we have fun together.
I was incredibly grateful to be able to spend a week in Atlanta. It almost didn't happen, for a variety of reasons, but it worked out. I was going through a bit of a depression before my trip. I was ministered to, prayed over, and overall it was a very healing trip. Linda and Shaunti have taught me a lot about gratitude just in how they carry themselves. They don't have it all figured out, but they walk by faith, and don't mind brushing me off, getting me back on my feet, and cheering me along as they go. They are my family.
I can't tell you how much I needed that trip.
Gratitude, like anything else, grows when you spend time with the people who exemplify it. But making a list doesn't hurt. I've been a negative, judgmental person most of my life, and everyone's got to start somewhere. I had to do just that on Friday, and found that I didn't have enough paper to finish my list.
Yup, I'm a blessed girl. I have problems, but there are definitely more good things than bad to list. And now to spend more time in prayer and in reading the Word so that this becomes a lifestyle and not just a temporary mission. I can only assume that if you're constantly acutely aware of how GOOD you've got it, it will be harder to dwell on the negative.
I want to have a heart that sees God in every situation first. It's a good time of year to start. :-)
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I am doing my best to practice an 'attitude of gratitude' these days, and not just because it's the holiday season. You have to admit, though, Christmas is a great time of year to really test it out and learn how to live it, because even though things are especially lovely this time of year, you can't always say the same of people. They're stressed, they're in a hurry, you're in their way. I got brave and went to Wal-Mart just before midnight on Thanksgiving night. I lasted 10 minutes. I wasn't strong enough yet. I wanted to punt people. Just being honest.
This gratitude thing has become important to me because I've been sort of surrounded by the exact opposite this year. Have you ever met someone who is just determined to be unhappy? They think they have it worse than anybody else. They're furious that not everything is going their way. They blame their mistakes on everyone but themselves. They anticipate the worst, and therefore always find it. They suffer from Martyr Syndrome.
I can only take so much of it. I realized I had my fill about a month ago. Enough of that. I want to be the opposite. I want to be different. I want to find the good in things. Stop being such a downer! I had a friend who used to say to me, when I'd start on a whining streak, "Get off the cross; someone else needs the wood." I never figured out if that was a sacrilegious statement or not, but I got what she meant. "Get over yourself." Boy, do I need the grace of God to get over myself!
In November, I traveled to Georgia to see my friends Linda and Shaunti. I've been friends with Shaunti for about 8 years, and I've been doing some freelance work for her for about 5 years. Linda is Shaunti's staff director, and for years we were friends over the phone and through email, finally meeting in person in 2009. God orchestrated these friendships. They came about and have played out in such a unique way (that's another blog post), but somehow we're very close. These two women know me inside and out - I can share anything with them. They've mentored me, and we have fun together.
I was incredibly grateful to be able to spend a week in Atlanta. It almost didn't happen, for a variety of reasons, but it worked out. I was going through a bit of a depression before my trip. I was ministered to, prayed over, and overall it was a very healing trip. Linda and Shaunti have taught me a lot about gratitude just in how they carry themselves. They don't have it all figured out, but they walk by faith, and don't mind brushing me off, getting me back on my feet, and cheering me along as they go. They are my family.
I can't tell you how much I needed that trip.
Gratitude, like anything else, grows when you spend time with the people who exemplify it. But making a list doesn't hurt. I've been a negative, judgmental person most of my life, and everyone's got to start somewhere. I had to do just that on Friday, and found that I didn't have enough paper to finish my list.
Yup, I'm a blessed girl. I have problems, but there are definitely more good things than bad to list. And now to spend more time in prayer and in reading the Word so that this becomes a lifestyle and not just a temporary mission. I can only assume that if you're constantly acutely aware of how GOOD you've got it, it will be harder to dwell on the negative.
I want to have a heart that sees God in every situation first. It's a good time of year to start. :-)
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