Thankfulness

A Habit of Gratitude

May 21, 2018 // by Shanda Dodd // 6 Comments

Life can be overwhelming. No matter what stage of life you are in, there are days that feel heavy, when the air is a bit stifling, and you feel like you are floundering. Maybe you are surrounded by books and papers as you study for an upcoming exam. Maybe you are putting in crazy hours trying to impress your boss in hopes of a promotion. Maybe you are a new mother trying to get your baby to sleep so you can rest a bit yourself. Or maybe, like me, you are in the midst of a huge transition with countless details to figure out when nothing is really coming together yet. Whatever the situation is I bet you are tired. I’m tired too.

In these moments it’s so easy to focus on the hard things and let them steal your peace and joy. But life is always going to be full of challenges, sleepless nights, pressure from work, deadlines, etc. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to always think “One day, once this has passed, then I’ll feel happy again”.

Over the years I have created a habit for myself that seems to be working so far. I’m not going to say I have found the secret to happiness, but just maybe I’m on to something big. The habit I have created is one of gratitude. It started a few years back when I was going through an emotionally difficult time. Whenever I sat down to journal out my thoughts I would clam up with frustration and anger. It was easier to sit in my sadness and slowly start to feel like I was drowning. But one day I felt a prompt to notice the things I was thankful for and actually write them out to God in a spirit of gratitude. It looked something like this…

Thank you for the coffee in front of me, even though it’s not really good. Thank you for my journal that has unlined pages and for a pen that actually writes really smoothly. Thank you for the window next to me and the little breeze that is coming through the opening. Thank you for the ability to write and time to do it. Thank you for music that brings me peace. Thank you that I am able to feel, even when it hurts. Thank you that I know joy because I’ve known pain. Thank you that pain doesn’t define me. Thank you that I have been given a spirit of peace and joy. Thank you that I can tap into that peace and joy at any time. Thank you that I was made for a purpose and that I am able to share my peace and joy with those around me. Thank you for life and for friends and family to share it with. Thank you for this day. Thank you.

Within minutes I went from sulking and angry to feeling a complete sense of calm surround me. My situation had not changed. I was still going through a hard time, but my attitude had shifted. I was focusing on the positive and not just the negative. Taking a moment to express my thanks reminded me that not everything was bad. It brought me back to a place of contentment, a place that then allowed me to process my feelings in a healthier and hope-filled way.

I have been doing this for years now. Sometimes when I’m feeling sad, overwhelmed, or frustrated. Sometimes just because it grounds me and reminds me that God is good and life is good. And then there are times when I forget my own advice and I catch myself wallowing in discontentment and disappointment. But the minute I’m able to stop and be thankful, everything shifts – not the situation, but my attitude! There are so many things in life that we cannot control, but we can choose our own perspective!

I know it sounds simple, but I honestly think a spirit of gratitude can realign our spirits. I don’t know your situation or how hard it is right now. Truthfully, maybe you don’t even have a second to spare to write down things you are thankful for, but I bet you have a minute to think… as you brush your teeth, as you wait for the water to boil, as you ride the elevator to your office floor, as you sit at a red light, as you walk to the bus, train, or your car… you get my point. There is time to be thankful if we make time. If you are stuck, start with the small things that are right in front of you. Perhaps your thanks can start with your most comfortable pair of boots, weathered and worn, but so special or maybe it is your new shade of lipstick or the fact that you are having a great hair day. I guarantee you there is something to be thankful for, even if it is just the fact that there is oxygen to breathe and water to drink. That is a start. See what unfolds as you let intentional thankfulness take over.

In the midst of my unknowns… like where I’m going to live in two weeks when I hop on a plane and move to a new country… I’m going to choose to be thankful for the here and now and cast my worries aside.

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Matthew 6:34

Thank you God, for Ólafur Arnalds and his music that soothes my soul. Thank you for my super soft leggings that I bought last minute before flying back to Spain. Thank you for leftovers in the fridge and the fact that I don’t have to cook tonight. Thank you for life’s unknowns. Thank you for adventures and for being a God that is not only good, but faithful. Thank you that I am known even when I know nothing. Thank you that I am loved!

Choose Joy

Mar 4, 2018 // by Becky McConnell // Leave a Comment

Once upon a time, I heard someone share about how happiness is a choice. After having heard the message about it I was actually pretty frustrated because those words met me at a sorrowful and challenging time in my life…Actually in Ecclesiastes, it even says that Sorrow is better than laughter, because a sad face is good for the heart. And at that point, I held onto those words, but as time passed and those words of choosing to be happy continued to replay in my mind I had a great revelation…

You see, I’m pretty convinced that happiness is something that cannot be chosen, because it’s simply an emotion. Choosing to be happy in the midst of sorrow is a façade. It only masks brokenness and hides hurt instead of dealing with it head on and walking through the inevitable challenges that life brings us.

Joy, however, is an attitude and an attitude surely can be chosen! It’s a choice to be content with where God has us despite the emotions and circumstances that influence our emotions. I do believe that joy can be so overwhelming that if we do choose it we indeed will feel emotions of bliss and happiness despite our circumstances.

On a random note, I am currently taking a grad class about the brain and how it works. One of the most fascinating things I have learned so far is that our EMOTIONS take precedence over any other type of memory! It’s the most powerful part of our memory so much so that it can cause us to completely overlook logic and facts!

Furthermore, we also have these things within our brain called mirror neurons. This is why when we see people yawn, we yawn. It’s also why when we see people smiling, we cannot help but smile! So perhaps we’re wired for joy to be contagious too!

I very often find myself lost in contemplation of how people from the Bible never wavered in their faith and I wonder if never wavering in our joy is a key to living.

On Thankfulness

Nov 10, 2017 // by Di Kaemingk // 1 Comment

I think one thing we can all agree on is that this election has been crazy. I want to preface this before I start, this post has nothing to do with me being happy/unhappy about the election. With Veterans Day quickly approaching and Thanksgiving just around the corner, I’m choosing to be thankful for the things that I have as an American.

I spent two years in my early twenties as a missionary. I’ve traveled to 31 countries. I’ve seen just about every injustice known to man and met people that have endured more than I could imagine. These people and countries are very dear to my heart, but visiting these places made me aware of rights I have as an American, that many people don’t. So these are the things that America has that I am thankful for today.

1. I am thankful that I have access to clean water. When I was in an African country, a woman told me that 99% of her problems would be solved with clean water. “If we only had water, we could plant a community garden. All the teenagers could work in it and they would be tired at the end of the day. They would go home and sleep instead of getting in trouble, and doing sexually promiscuous things because they have nothing to do.” People are dying because of starvation and AIDS. I am thankful today for water.

2. I am thankful I got an education. Yes, I grew up in one of the best school systems in the nation, but even if I hadn’t, America offers the chance to get a free public education through grade 12. I’ve met many kids around the world who will never get the chance to go to school. Ever. And they would kill for that chance.

3. I am thankful I live in a country with democracy. I got to vote. Even as a woman, I have a voice.

4. I am thankful I got to choose my husband. I’ve seen a lot of beautifully arranged marriages and I’m really glad it works for some people. But I am thankful that I got to choose Nate.

5. I am thankful I have access to healthcare. Now, in no way am I saying that I’m thrilled with our healthcare system, but I once visited a baby hospital where rows and rows of babies were lined up barely moving. Their bodies burned my hands to touch. Most of them would never make it past the first few weeks of life.

6. I am thankful I have food that is nutritious and abundant. I can walk into a grocery store and choose from 50 types of cereal, and while I’m not 100% sure that is a good thing, I’m happy to have access to enough food to keep me alive (and then some!)

7. I am thankful I have career options. In Asia, I hang out with women who felt they had no choice but sell themselves to men to make money for their families. And some of those women didn’t choose it.

8. I am thankful I live in a country where people with disabilities matter. I spent a month in one country where children with disabilities are abandoned into an “invalid orphanage” and never touched. Babies that have never been held. I’m happy we have organizations like the “Special Olympics” and accommodations in schools. I am thankful for Non-profits who are funded well enough to help them further.

Now, there are many things that these countries have that America doesn’t, and I specifically didn’t name countries because I really love the nations. But today I am choosing to focus on what I have in America. I am proud to be a citizen of this country. Do I agree with every decision the White House makes? Of course not! Will I fight for an issue that I believe in? You bet I will. But I will choose to be thankful throughout the process. I’ve wasted too many years focusing on what I don’t have, and it’s time to be thankful for what I do have.

And thank you to our veterans who put their lives on the line every day for our freedom. I notice you, and although I could never understand your sacrifice, I am thankful for it.