A Dare to live fully...right where I am

#14 Sunsets - He speaks.

Disappointment. We all face them every day. Whether it's with wrong choices made by one of our children, not getting the things done around the house that you wanted to, or slipping time in for yourself. Perhaps it's disappointment that comes from your job and not receiving recognition on a job well done or maybe it's a disappointment with your spouse.

In any case, disappointment is merely a distraction. A distraction that blurs the vision of what we should truly be focusing on and that is our relationship with God and the gifts that He brings our way each and every day and the thankfulness we should give to Him in return.

Colossians 3:15-17 -Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing. And cultivate thankfulness. Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense. And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

So I've started a Gratitude Journal. I carry it with me everywhere I go to write down things that I am grateful for. In doing so, I've asked God to show me, point out to me the things He has given to me. It's interesting the first couple of days, I became frustrated in trying to see things to be thankful for...but now, I'm just frustrated when I don't have my camera to take a picture, I see things everywhere! :D

Here are just some that I've jotted down since my #1 in last week's blog:

#4 Geese nesting on rooftops

#7 Uncontrollable laughter at the dinner table

#10 Outburst of dance in the middle of the mall

#12 Lightning piercing the night sky

Interesting as I am ending this blog, this doxology came to mind...He speaks!!

Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

A Dare to live fully...right where I am

#1. Accidental phone calls from our children that end with them saying, "I love you mom, have a good day".

In a world that craves instant results - from sending a text message that someone will get instantly or popping lunch in the microwave that will be ready in an instant - lives are fast paced - always wishing for tomorrow, wanting the latest and greatest. Like everyone else - on Monday morning, I'm guilty of saying that I can't wait for the weekend and in essence - I miss out on seeing everything that Monday through Friday had to offer me. I skipped over the gifts that God brings me each and every day - you know those things that we all take for granted - not on purpose but in our pursuit of the next thing that we want or needs to be done.

On Saturday, March 16th I picked up the book "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp and it is changing my life and dare I say re-defining who I am. On March 16th this adventure began, an adventure to be thankful and to live life fully...right where I am. In order to fully live we must live each moment - taking in the gifts that each moment brings. Knowing full well that each moment that we have it a gift from God.

"Gratitude (Thankfulness) bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world." -Sara Ban Breathnach.

Moments of awe...moments. Not minutes, hours or days - just moments. My prayer is the God will help me to experience "moments of awe". An 'awe' that can only come from an AWEsome God. The creator of everything we see. it could be a sunrise, birds singing, a green light when you are running late...it's the gifts from God that we simply take for granted.

So today, I'm putting a stake in the ground, drawing a line in the sand - asking God to help me to experience these moments of awe and to give him the thanks He so deserves. I will share later more on thankfulness and what it means - but for today, the picture with this post is one of my moments of awe.