game-changing gratitude

One of my earliest memories as a child is throwing a tantrum because my parents won’t allow me to do something I want to do. I don’t remember what that was but I remember stomping my feet, crying with my mouth wide open. Mommy got me to stop by telling me a fly might enter my mouth if I keep crying like that. Lol, very graphic, I know.

I may not be as expressive then verbally, but if you saw my thought bubble it would be filled with so much rant. I am a serial grumbler. I am not proud of this and this is something I’ve always prayed to God to change in me. And God knows how much I’ve tried to change my ways…to no avail.

I really can’t do this on my own. I can’t pray it away. I need His intervention.

Through all this, the Lord is teaching me about the game-changing power of gratitude. Yes, I can try with all my might to stop grumbling, but if I don’t replace it with something else, I will only end up complaining about my failed attempts at stopping it.

Gratitude reminds me that everything I have—from the very breath in my lungs to the laptop I’m typing this on are all gifts from above. Even my full-time advertising job, the main object of my rants, is a blessing! That’s why I try to start my day by writing thank you’s in my journal.

Thank You, Lord for the new day, the new chance to behold Your goodness in my life. Thank You for my comfortable bed, the sound sleep, the K-drama I watched last night, and the job I have. Thank You Lord for the laughter that my favorite K-pop groups bring me. Thank You Lord for Your grace that meets me where I am and carries me through whatever this day will bring.

I am still learning to thank Him for revisions and tight deadlines though! Hahaha. But the perspective that they help me grow as an art director and cultivates patience in me keeps the dark clouds of a grouchy mood away.

It takes practice, too. As I go, I realize that a grateful disposition doesn’t happen overnight. It has to be a lifestyle, a habit that goes beyond a 21-day challenge.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 is my rallying cry:
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks are what I hope to replace grumbling with. And to know that that is the will of God for me makes me all the more eager to practice it in my life.

Instead of complaining about deadlines at work, I will rejoice because it is a miracle to have a job at all. Rather than tweeting rants about the government, I will choose to pray for our leaders that they will act with wisdom and compassion.

And instead of wishing away the circumstance I’m in, I will give thanks knowing that I am in the center of God’s will.

I hope this blog post finds you grateful.