Good morning…
Two emails came to me simultaneously. One simply said, ‘GR8FUL,’ indicating the single word one subscriber would put on her license plate. The other subscriber wrote, “I have found the grief to begin to loosen its grip on me as my gratitude catches up with the sadness. Eventually all I am left with is gratitude, love and a light heart.”
God’s timing involves no coincidence. Maybe one focus word for all of us this holiday season is ‘grateful.’
Yes, we may be grieving the loss of a dear loved one this year, but might we begin to balance our deep sadness with, “What am I grateful for in this very moment?” Sure, we may be spending time with our ‘difficult person,’ but might we start to shift our old, self protective heart-patterns toward, “What unique qualities am I grateful for in this person?” I know, we may feel lonely or disregarded, taken advantage of or anxiously worried, but might we sink beneath our self-sufficient defenses to ask, “In gratitude, how might I surrender my controlling nature to God’s peaceful presence?”
‘GR8FUL,’ may these two sentences gradually expand within our hearts.
“I have found the grief to begin to loosen its grip on me as my gratitude catches up with the sadness.”
“Eventually all I am left with is gratitude, love and a light heart.”
If I’m sleepless at midnight, I spend the hours in grateful reflection (Psalm 63:6, MSG).
…Sue…
