Choose Gratitude

My three-year-old grandson, Alex, likes to help me open window shades. I’ll spare you the cheesy song we sing as we ask the morning sun to “please shine down.”

Like most toddlers, Alex is full of questions. “Where’s the moon, Meema? Where’s the sun, Meema?” I assure him the sun and moon are there even when clouds hide them.

I love how they just believe us. By faith, they trust.

For us , it’s harder, isn’t it? To believe there’s light beyond clouds. And it gets heavy.

We feel it. We fight it. And we’re not alone. We see strain and struggle on faces in grocery stores and gas stations. In our neighborhoods and our churches.

We are bombarded with local, national, and world news that stirs up all kinds of anxious emotions. My pulse quickens just writing this. And I breathe deep.

We are wise to limit our exposure to news stories. There’s way more hope for humanity than they report. And social media? Yes, I limit that too. No person, no family, no dog, no life is that perfect. 

But, this morning my thoughts want to stay in a rut and I want to hide. It seems safe but if I linger, it becomes a dark place. When my brain spirals, I tell it, “Nope. We aren’t doing this.”

Yep. Out loud. And I don’t care who hears. I breathe a prayer and focus on what the cloud is hiding ~ the good things.

These four little sentences printed on my favorite coffee mug help me focus. “It’s a new day. I am alive. I am loved. I am thankful.”

I simply start by thanking God for the mug of coffee warming my hands. Gratitude sets my mind on the right track. This isn’t just positive thinking. It’s not denying difficulty or stuffing emotions. It’s simply choosing to see what is true. To look past the irrational and see what’s real.

The good.

When we allow our blessings to get bigger than our burdens, something beautiful happens. We rise above them where God is. Where there’s courage and clarity. Where there’s peace in a new perspective. He speaks to the chaos in our minds and creates calm.

Year after year, winter rolls into spring, spring into summer, summer into fall. This silent, powerful rhythm reminds us he’s in control and there’s something bigger happening.

God is always doing something new in us, around us, and for us. And that something is good. Even when we can’t see it. Even when it feels awful. Even when we don’t understand, we know we will be okay. No matter what. 

There’s mystery in this depth of faith. It takes a soul-deep trust that’s hard to explain. So, when I reassure my grandson that the sun and moon are there,  God whispers the same to you and me.

I’m still here.

It’s a new day. We are alive. We are loved. Be thankful.