How Gratitude Changes a Heart

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In October it will have been six years. Six years and counting. Six years of counting. That fall morning in 2009, I started a small list. Honestly, I didn't know how long I would last. I am great at starting things, but many times fizzle out over time. I had no idea how much I would need an ever-growing list that I would add to each week of the gifts God brought to me. In November of that year God would start a journey for me that I would not want to take. He knew I would need gratitude to keep my head above water and my mind sane. With each gift that I wrote down {or for many years typed on this screen to post on the blog}, my attitude changed. My heart held onto hope. A hope that maybe life is not as bad as it seems. Maybe when I am not watching He is giving gifts.

So almost six years and working my way to 6,000 gifts I have come to realize my great need for continuing my list. Yes, there have been seasons in life where the list was slower to grow. There have been times when it has exploded with abundance. Here's my thoughts after maintaining this habit for longer than I expected.

{Three of my gratitude journals}

A grumpy heart needs gratitude. There are times when I have a rough day. My mood is grumpy at best...foul at worst. Or maybe there is a tinge of jealousy creeping into my heart. Or maybe seemingly nothing has gone my way. Those are the days that I am finding I need to pull out my list and take a few minutes to thank God for the good I may have missed. Without fail, my mood improves if I will just sit and thank Him.

Gratefulness brings the positive memories back. I love that I can go back to my lists and remember what God has done for me. There are events and people that have happened in my life that I have completely forgotten about...flowers from a student, uplifting words, watching my son ice climb, playing family games. All gifts that would be forgotten if they weren't written down.

A hurting heart makes a gratitude list grow faster. During 2013, I went through some major changes in life. Painful changes. While I can look back and now see a glimmer of what God was doing and why He was allowing such devastation, at the time I was completely lost. All I could do was list as many graces as possible so that I wouldn't sink under the deepening grief. My list exploded during that time. I am sure part of why I survived it all had to do with counting God's gifts.

Gratitude makes a heart trust. Having a list of what God has done has caused me to trust Him more. There is just too much evidence in those journals to not believe Him. So when I am facing anxiety over an upcoming event all I have to do is remember all those graces and gifts listed. While trust has NEVER been my strong suit gratefulness has helped me overcome my doubt about God's goodness.

Need help starting a list?

One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are- I love Ann Voskamp's book on how gratitude changed her life.

Need a gratitude journal that's free and printable?

Another free, printable gratitude journal

How Gratitude Changes a Life

Since October 5, 2009...that's when it all started. Little did I know that I was about to embark on a painful season of life. It would be years in the making. It would be a complete breaking. God knew what I would need through that season. He knew I would need to learn to count. But that October Monday morning I had no idea what awaited me. I could not foresee the challenge of just keeping my heart above the emotional turmoil so it wouldn't drown in a sea of sorrow. But God knew what was coming. That morning in October, I started a new habit...listing gifts God gave me...expressing gratitude. Gratitude would be my lifesaver. It would hoist me out of the hurt so that I could keep pressing on.

Gratitude is a funny thing. It doesn't change one life circumstance. It doesn't change the past. It does nothing for the present, but it changes the person. Being thankful for all He gives has increased my faith, given me a more positive attitude, and instilled a sense of peace. Making myself sit down each week to list gifts has changed my heart about my circumstances even when the circumstances weren't what I wanted. 

So here is my list for the week...may it's time to start one yourself?

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-Reading and journaling God's Word

-A fun Friday night

-A raspberry mocha

-A quick dinner with a friend

-A sick son who is feeling so much better

-A haircut

-My Spanish students...I adore them!!

-Talking with parents

-Laughter that brings tears

-An easier schedule for the week

-Deeper understanding of the past

-Getting ready for a pumpkin unit with my students

-A faithful God 

-Time with other Christians

God's Endless Gifts

I am so thankful for a God that gives endlessly. There is no way I can thank Him for all He does, but here is a short list of just some of the gifts He gave this past week.

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-Verses of hope collected on index cards

-Quiet time at a coffee shop learning from God's Word

-Rain

-A cancellation

-God revealing some truths to me

-A deeper understanding

-Getting through another week of teaching

-A much needed nap

-A reader who gives me more understanding of what transpired

-Extra time with a close friend

-The spiritual birthday of one of my sons

-Fall, my favorite season

-Seeing fellow church goers around town

-The Healing Journey {This book is helping me beyond expectation.  Will post more later.}

-Reading about and understanding more about mental illness

-Mochas

-Unexpected financial blessings

-Pizza and game night at friends

-An unexpected funny text

-Making connections

-Prayers answered above and beyond for a friend

-Memories shared

-Playtime with the pup

-Muffins made in prep for a busy morning

Grateful

Gratitude can be a challenge. There are days and weeks when life is hard, busy, or out of control, but those are the times I need gratitude more than ever. No matter the circumstances what can you give thanks for? There is always something, and if we look hard enough we will find that there is an abundance of "somethings" to praise Him for.

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-One brother willing to defend another

-Late night drives

-Watching a sunset while chatting with a friend

-Learning to trust a God that never fails

-The acceptance of an imperfect life

-Taking pictures

-Getting through a teaching week being under the weather

-Printing off "flag maps" to decorate my door that my Spanish students use

-A long drive

-One of my students' families giving us ten pounds of hamburger

-Great humor from a student as I teach them rhyming words

-Early morning coffee

-Writing out a psalm and praying through it

-A puppy in mischief

How He Blesses...

This past week I have felt particularly blessed.  Not that life is perfect. I am still one broken individual in total need of a Redeemer. I think that God at times gives us reprieves from the weariness that is life and chooses to heap His love on us in special ways that we weren't expecting. He is a God full of surprises in the form of the gifts He leaves for us to find along our way...


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-Words of affirmation
-Name calling {the good kind} This week I have been called everything from a hero to a good writer to a "sock fairy" (because I bought my husband socks!)  LOL
-Late evening walk watching the sun set
-Cards in the mail

-The beauty of God's creation

-Dinner and precious time with a friend
-Humor over a flat tire.
-Fall weather
-An unexpected text
-Studying Malachi
-Listening to a sermon online
-Reading a book on healing
-That we serve a God who heals us
-Being a part of a new group on Facebook to encourage women
-Stories shared
-Sweet students
-Loving the job that I do

-Flowers from a neighbor early on a Sunday morning.
-Conversation around a fire late into a fall evening

When We are Blind to the Good He Brings...

Your glory is visible

and evident.

Yet, again and again

I fail to see 

Your beauty.

So I seek Your

healing

one more time.

Please place Your

powerful hands

on my broken eyes

and give me sight again.

-A Shelter in the Time of Storm: Meditations on God and Trouble

Sometimes we need to regain the ability to see all the beauty that is God. Counting His gifts helps us realize that He really does give beauty, grace, and blessings to our lives. Here is my gift list from God for the week...

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-Funny cards from friends

-Running jokes

-New Spanish children's books

-The blessing of getting to do what I love...teach.

-A great first week of Spanish lessons

-Watching my students grow and mature

-Humor during the lessons

-A GREAT set of students this year!!

-Four days of rest

-Fall around the corner

-Learning more from the Psalms. {Loving this!}

-Getting a lot of paperwork done

-Texts from a friend

When You Need a Little Hope

When hope is waning and you feel like things will never get better, make a list.  A gratitude list. Proof that God doesn't abandoned His own. His gifts abound...

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-Cards of hope and encouragement in the mail

-A clean house

-The sun shining on a Saturday

-Rest from stress
-Knowing I am not alone
-Portraits taken
-A Saturday night get together with friends
-Reading a mystery
-Learning about the benefits of living in a "wilderness" season of life
-Spanish lessons starting
-Laughing with a friend
-Jokes and funny stories shared
-A house full of guests
-Reading to my boys
-Learning about the holiness of God
-A great sermon on a Sunday

Grace Abounds

There's not a day where you and yours are not protected by the most powerful, protective, and beneficial force in the universe--the grace of God. Every situation, location, and relationship you're in every day is made livable and tolerable by his grace. -Paul David Tripp

Grace permeates our lives, but we often miss its appearance.  Maintaining a gratitude list helps us find the grace we missed.  Can you list the grace He gives you? You may find grace abounds!

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-Reading A Shelter in the Time of Storm: Meditations on God and Trouble {Great thoughts on Psalm 27}
-More students signing up
-This sign given to my husband by some friends...we can face anything because we are known and loved.

-A bathroom fixed up
-Very supportive parents of my Spanish students
-Going out to eat with my sons
-Helping set up a classroom and decorate it
-Severe back pain...realizing how blessed I am when I am not in pain
-The tomatoes that keep ripening
-A friend coming over and asking for prayer
-Meeting a new student and his mom. Such lovely people!
-Reading Flowers for Algernon for the first time
-Encouraging words from other Christians

A Grateful Heart

It has been an amazing week filled with blessings!

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-My son finally home

-A trip to the fair

-Getting a bunch of paperwork done

-A new look on my blog! So happy with it!

-The season of BLT's now that the tomatoes are ripening

-And the cabbage are amazing also...

-Copies made for my Spanish lessons

-A friend that helps out with my sons

-A side job for one of my sons to earn a little cash for a trip

-The time to get my work done

-Sunny weather

-Watching my husband show a lamb of one of my former Spanish students at the fair

-Corn fritters

-Reading the Psalms of Ascent

-Highlighters and markers for Bible study

-The kindness of a stranger

-A gardening buddy who loves to take a drink from the hose

A Thankful Heart

We all feel unloved at times, but gratitude can change that. Look around. How has God loved on you this week?  Here is my gratitude list for the week.


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-Bible study with a new method.  Gleaning so much.

-Hot coffee on cold rainy mornings

-The end of camp for my son

-Massive tomatoes on the vine

-Cards of encouragement

-Watching movies with my younger son
-Garage sales
-Our family stepping up to help our neighbors
-The blessing of more students this year
-Lunch with friends on a Sunday afternoon
-Bread baking in the oven

What are you thankful for?

Fighting the Foes

I am not going to lie. I know the pain of depression and the fear that comes with anxiety attacks. There are days when all my mental energy works towards fighting the two off. I come by the duo naturally. All fallen creatures have something they fight off.  For me, anxiety and depression are my foes. One of the ways I struggle against them is a mind adjustment. Before you think I am totally weird let me explain. If your back is out of whack you go an get it adjusted. It is no different with your heart and mind. Gratitude for all God gives helps me change my thinking and keep me from sinking too low in my thoughts. Thankfulness breeds joy and peace. Two commodities I desperately need.

Here is my gratitude list for the week...

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-Time with friends
-Re-doing our kitchen
-Quiet mornings
-Getting some school planning done
-Safety for a neighbor
-The reminder that life is precious and short
-A hug from a friend's mom
-Cuddles from puppies
-Getting some deep cleaning done
-That He carries me through the sadness
-Validation on some choices made
-Knowing that if others don't understand, God does
-A beautiful example of how apologies can lead the way to wholeness
-Reassurance

On the Road to Gratitude

No one escapes unscathed. We all walk broken roads. Smooth paths are not always offered as we travel. The broken pieces become blessed pieces in our eyes if we will just give thanks no matter the traveling conditions. Gratitude takes the rough road and smooths our souls so that we can keep pressing on.

So I continue to give gratitude to my Travel Guide for all that He does in my life.

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-Road trips
-Moose sightings
-Pizza places
-Working on school schedules for the boys

-Baked goods in the freezer
-Sharing what I bake
-Writing cards of encouragement
-Summer breezes
-Sharing from my garden
-Friends that help out
-Scheduling Spanish for the year and having some of it fall into place
-A good night of sleep after insomnia
-Reading Mark Twain
-Puppy snuggles in the morning

All Things Great and Small

No thing is too small to give thanks for. To only give thanks for the big events in our life that went our way limits our view of God. Look closely so as not to miss those little things He does.

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-The small things like a butterfly landing on an iris
-The big things like a mama moose and her baby

-Beauty on a picnic bench

-A missed opportunity that turned into a blessing

-A God that knows exactly what we need at the right time

-A new Bible study speaking to my heart

-Friends that help out

-Tomato plants gone wild

-Dutch oven pizza

-Invites to breakfast {even if it ended up I couldn't make it}

-Time with friends on the deck

-Neon blue dragonflies

-Fish hopping out of the pond

-A salad with homegrown tomatoes and cucumbers

-A friend loaning me her curriculum

-Visiting with my best friend's mom and daughter