Day to day life is so full of, well day to day stuff and before you know it the day is over and we have to start a new day. We tend to forget the simple stuff, the basic stuff. The things that we often take for granted, don’t even notice.
Sometimes when faced with troubles all we can see is the hard stuff, the rough stuff, and the painful stuff. But even amongst these, there is always something that is good. Our minds are so focussed on what we are going through that we don’t even notice the small good, happy, pretty things that happen. Trust me, there is not one single day that you have lived through that something good did not happen.
When times are hard and you get told to “cheer up, it can’t be that bad”, no one wants to hear about starving kids in Ethiopia or how people in war torn Syria have bigger problems than you and your husband’s latest tiff. I am not a fan of this whole comparing problems thing....my pain is my pain. Because we are all unique no-one can ever exactly know how it feels. End. Of. Similarly we can all find things to be grateful for, find happiness in moments and people and things, no matter how ridiculous it may seem to someone else.
- What is good?
- What is gratitude?
- Does God not say be grateful, give thanks at all times?
- How is it possible?
I started gratitude journal some years ago when I was in the darkest night of my soul and I had given up, I felt like there was nothing working for me, the world was black and I had no future in it.
I literally wrote down some good, nice, pretty, funny, heart warming, positive things that I remembered from the day. It doesn’t have to be deep, and meaningful or insightful to anyone but you. I literally started thanking God for parking, a nice warm bed, phone calls from friends, absolutely anything at all.
Here’s an excerpt
I am grateful it wasn’t freezing today
I am grateful for Christmas money for presents I can choose myself
I am happy in my nice, red, cosy gown
I am happy I made it to church today
I am grateful for being able to keep from being hurtful to K
I am thankful for the job I am about to get
I look forward to being encouraged
I am happy I made I through the first week of my new diet
I am thankful for God’s love
Thank you God for fixing the computer issue
I am thankful for the inspiration that the prayer book is giving me
I am hopeful for a good week
I am thankful for that parking spot at the shops
I am happy that my hayfever is not crazy right now.
When I lack inspiration.....and yes that can happen when you can literally think of NOTHING good that happened today, I have a little box of verses called “Bread of Life” by Christian Art Gifts- they are promises from the bible for daily strength. They are tiny little cards with a promise from God...
Today’s is Psalm 147:3 KJV
He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
It can be hard to keep at it especially in the beginning when you can’t think of anything to write, but there is nothing like a blank page waiting to be filled that gets the brain ticking. You don’t have to do it for long, even a week. You will find you feel better, are not so moany and low and quicker to be able to see the good in all sorts of situations. Soon you will be able to do it without thinking!
Good luck and God Bless!
Zigi Mungwira
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