If it weren’t for actually writing about gratitude every day, I know I’d be guilty of taking most things for granted. I did it for years. I’m just grateful I stumbled upon the practice; it’s a spiritual tool that wields incredible power. Giving thanks for obvious blessings and even for things perceived as negative/bad/unfortunate is a practice that has opened my eyes and changed the way I look at the world in general and my world in particular…which in turn has made me more present and appreciative of what is right in front of me right now. And that is huge for me and my (untreated) ADHD. It truly is a gift!
Grateful thoughts come almost immediately these days upon awakening, usually starting with gratitude for a good night’s sleep and another chance to do God’s work. I’m grateful to wake up with a clear head (since I remember what it was like waking up in a fog) and with purpose. I’m grateful for a regimented morning that includes unbridled time in the Word. Given the times in which we live, this is the best thing I’ve ever done for my spiritual health.
I’m grateful to notice things usually missed in the blink of an eye. Something as seemingly ordinary as an early morning waning moon becomes the subject of a photograph because of how it sits in the sky against the lake. A minute later and the opportunity to capture it would have been lost, and it’s moments like this—when I just happen to notice something remarkable—that I’m grateful for. Beautiful moments aren’t rare anymore; they happen in abundance, when I remember to look.
And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. ~ John 1:16
