GrateFULL

09 May GrateFULL

Hey y’all!

Pardon my silence as I have been using these moments to connect with the world around me. There have been so many amazing things happening in my life and in the lives of those that I love. I just couldn’t miss a beat. Now, feeling the onslaught of yet another transition in my life, as well as the arrival of my birthday coming soon, I can’t help but feel reflective.

This last year has really blown me away. I went into age 32 with intention. I made the choice that I was no longer open to the relentless pursuit of the life God promised me. Instead, I was going to be grateful for the moments I exist in now. Don’t misunderstand me. I haven’t given up on a single goal or dream, and I am still working to become a better woman every day. However, my focus is not solely spent on the future. I decided to live my life from a place of gratitude. What I didn’t expect was how life-changing that simple (in concept) choice would be.

The Purpose of Gratitude

Gratitude provides access to all of the things God has for you. In focusing so intently on the journey, on the path to becoming something great, I began to feel out of touch with my own life. It’s like I didn’t have a grip on myself. I felt less connected to my work and in some ways my relationships.  I was so wrapped up in who I knew God said I would be, that I often acted with disregard for the things I have now.

I was in the thick of doing some of the very things that God purposed for me and I almost missed it. Life can be subtle that way. You pray and pray for these gifts from God and start to neglect it because once they arrive they too, become ordinary. We have to be careful of getting so caught up in the pursuit of our dreams that we dismiss our lives. Now, is the only thing we ever really have.

The Practice of Gratitude

I had, in many ways, become estranged from myself. I felt closed up in a body and living a life that just happened around me. I needed to re-focus. When my 32^nd birthday arrived I decided that I was going to throw my arms around my life and embrace every step I was given. It wasn’t always easy. I had to look at my career with fresh eyes and think, what can I gain from these experiences? Who can I touch? What am I meant to learn? What am I meant to teach?

Gratitude is a posture. I put myself in the frame of mind of both giving and receiving positivity. I gave praise for blessings and lessons of the moment. An opportunity would come up and I would jump on it. If I found myself with a bit of free time I used it to be productive. I developed stronger relationships. I was more intentional with my time.  I decided how I would engage with a situation before I even opened my mouth to speak. In practicing gratitude I became re-acquainted with my power.

The Promise of Gratitude

Gratitude opens up the opportunity for grace. It is a direct connection to the experience of your life. The biggest gift I gave myself this year was finally understanding that the acceptance of where I am today does not equate to conceding to be there forever. When you open yourself up to what God has given you already, you make room for him to give you more.

And it’s not always about more. Sometimes it’s just about seeing now for what it really truly is. Single seasons are worthwhile. Relationships are worthwhile.  Don’t allow yourself to miss any of it. What will happen is predicated on what is happening. Make a choice that sets up to receive everything that waits for you.