Weekly Gratitude Journal

"Joy is a function of gratitude,

and gratitude is a function of perspective.

You only begin to change your life

when you change the way you see." 

Ann Voskamp-The Greatest Gift

Yesterday evening I watched the Christmas special on The Chosen app. On the special, Mandisa sang a song called, "Get Used To Different." The song speaks to the reality that God often works in ways completely contrary to what we expect or think or understand. The song spoke to me deeply as this year has been nothing like most of us expected. Besides the pandemic and the shutdown, we've personally been through a big shift against the status quo in our own lives and church. Change is not easy. Our flesh will most often choose the status quo over the discomfort of change. This year I've realized that God is not interested in maintaining the status quo or in indulging our desire for fleshly comfort. God is doing a new thing and He wants us to perceive it. He wants to change our lives, but are we willing to let Him change the way we see so we have the proper perspective necessary to see what He is doing, no matter how different it is than what we expected?

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Since 2009 I've been counting my blessings thanks to the prompting of Ann Voskamp.

 I continue to count my thanks, 

piling up gratitude day by day in my journal.

(and capturing some of my blessings via my camera or iPhone)

#13,968-#13,990

12-7-2020-

-coffee in bed

-taking a slow morning together after a very full weekend

-sharing what God is doing with a friend and my sister 

-our grandson speaking at youth group

12-8-2020-

-the smell of foraged cedar and pine and fir branches

-having a family movie night watching The Polar Express

-hot chocolate and sugar cookies

-kisses and hugs and "I love you"s

12-9-2020-

-instrumental Christmas hymns playlist

-God's help in ordering a full and busy day and making it peace filled

-having company over for dinner

12-10-2020-

-a sweet morning quiet time reading from the book of Isaiah

-a friend coming over for tea and a visit and prayer

-seeing God working in our weekly prayer gatherings

12-11-2020-

-a good night's sleep

-a sweet rainy date day with my guy

-our annual tradition of dipping pretzels in chocolate with the grandkids

12-12-2020-

-our granddaughters talking to me about Jesus coming back

-my husband surprising me by mopping and vacuuming the floors!

-a hot bubble bath and going to bed early

12-13-2020-

-Your work in us and church

-our three year old grandson rehearsing the meaning of the Advent candles

-God answering prayer

still following,