A Journal To Gratefulness... Week 9: STRATEGY

You may have noticed week 8's blog is missing... why? Because this season is hard and I felt sad, inadequate, and honestly not grateful last week. I needed to work through that and switch my lens and perspective. It took a few days but I think I'm getting there. To be honest, there may be days in the next coming weeks where I won't have the greatest emotions attached to this process... but today, TODAY I am grateful.

I was thinking maybe I could share with you the strategic steps I'm putting in place to keep grounded, focused, and stable in this majorly insane, confusion, frustrating season of life we are all in together.

Firstly, TOGETHER... that word is something I'm writing on my heart and keeping at the forefront of my mind. Unlike any other season of life, we are all in this together (que High School Musical soundtrack 😂). We are all experiencing the daily reports and news stories, seeing family and friends testing positive and it moving closer and closer to home, the cabin fever, and so much more. So to be able to remember I'm not alone in these experiences and emotions helps to keep my feet on the floor.

Secondly, a verse I feel is extremely necessary for all of us to meditate and sit on during these weeks of isolation is:

"For the Lord God is brighter than the brilliance of a sunrise! Wrapping Himself around me 

like a shield, He is so generous with His gifts of grace and glory. Those who walk along His paths with integrity will never lack one thing they need, for He provides it all!" Psalm 84:11

God is here. He is working. There is good shining through all of this sad and hard stuff. He is surrounding us, He is speaking to us, and in the midst of lack He is bringing provisions in amazing ways. So our job is to simply recognize it, to see the the brightness of who He is right now.

Thirdly, and this has been a running theme throughout the whole Journal To Gratefulness process, I have to make myself look for the beauty that is happening between the cracks. If I don't I'm gonna snap. Because the beauty brings HOPE. When we see things thriving, growing, being refreshed it reminds us that the world is not crumbling away. Hope can do a lot more for us than we give it credit. I always think of Hunger Games when I think of the power of hope...

"Hope. It is the only thing stronger than fear. A little hope is effective, a lot of hope is dangerous. A spark is fine, as long as it's contained. (President Snow)."

The enemy of our hearts, minds, and souls wants us to be fearful. He'd love for us to play dead and let this time pass us by. But I'm hopeful for the opposite outcome. I'm hoping that we will rise from the ashes with renewed faith int he Lord. That we will see each other in a new light. I hope and pray that a unity like the world has never seen will be something we can celebrate at the end of this season. I have a lot of hope for us as a people... we will come through, thriving, empowered, stretched but not torn! 

Let's be strategic in this time. Let's use it wisely. And let's not forget that this too shall pass!

Things I was grateful for this week:

• I'm breathing.
• I have food. 
• God is STILL on the throne!
• The Joy of the Lord is my strength. 

"Grateful: (adjective)

    warmly or deeply appreciative of kindness or benefits received; thankful" - Dictionary.com