angelaschmeling

I am a mess.

An absolute crazy colossal mess.

People may think I have it all together, but here’s a secret. I don’t. Not even close. But I am blessed more than I can fathom.

And blessing doesn’t always come in a financial way like many people think. I think one thing that we have forgotten to do is to be grateful for all we have and find the little things that we can be thankful about. Develop a half glass full type of mentality. I think even when things are messy, you can find yourself being a lot more optimistic about your future when you cultivate a heart of gratitude.

It is also the season of thankfulness and sometimes during the holidays, we can find ourselves more grumpy and aggravated than cheerful and joyful which is what this season should be about!

But instead, we see anger, annoyance, frustration. Families battle at dinner over politics, religion, etc instead of being grateful for another time/year together. There are more suicides and murders during this season than any other.

Why?

Are we taking too much time getting sucked into the commercialism, the busyness of the season? Trying to make everything perfect that we lose the whole purpose and meaning behind it?

Are we taking time to take a breath and remember all the blessings we have. Remember all the things that God has done in our life? Or are we stressing ourselves out to the point that we forget any semblance of gratitude?

Truly, this can go for any time of year, but it does seem more prevalent during this time. This is supposed to be the season of hope, but in all the hustle and bustle, we’ve lost sight of that. We’ve lost our focus.

And what about the rest of the year? Are we getting too busy with our job or chasing kids around to take a moment and realize what we have and what a blessing that is?

We need to tip the scales a bit.

We need to remember what truly matters and see the good, the beautiful, the positive in every situation and at every time of the year.

We need to find the things we can be thankful no matter what.

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

I used to be a very negative person. I would continually look at things half empty. I didn’t always show it, but internally I did. And that was not good for my well-being. My meager prayer life would be more of a “woe is me” type cry out to God.

I came across this incredible quote for Dr Jordan B Peterson that explains gratitude beautifully.

Gratitude can be an elixir for victimhood. Gratitude is not the naive insistence that the world is a perfectly delightful place and that everything is going to go well. Gratitude is a practice. It is a moral virtue. The virtuous part of gratitude is the courage to find the light in even the darkest place that can guide you through. The willingness to and the understanding of that is a practice.

Having a heart of gratitude turns your mindset from a “woe is me” to a “how blessed am I!” despite your circumstances.

Now, you can tell me. “Angie, you have no idea what’s happened in my life. You don’t know what’s going on. You can’t relate to what I’m going through. There is no silver lining! Nothing to be grateful for!”

You’re right. I don’t know all that you’re going through. But this is where we need to change our mindset because there is always a silver lining. Even in the midst of our mess, we can find a blessing in the madness.

You still have air in your lungs.

You still have food to eat – even if it’s meager.

God loves you. From head to toe!

Yes the world is a mess, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t have things to be thankful for.

Diamonds don’t just become diamonds. They go through a mess. They get crushed, bruised, and burned to be able to find their beauty.

You have an opportunity to change if you so choose to. An opportunity to change your thought process. Find the good. Find the upside. Reach into your mess and find the diamond in the rough.

Giving thanks for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephesians 5:20

Having a thankful heart is not only a good thing for you, but it’s good for those around you. Because when we have a heart that is thankful, we also find more joy. Because within the gratitude comes a joy within us for finding the blessing. The mess may get you a little dirty, but finding the blessing within the mess also reveals the joy within you.

Do you see what we’ve got? An unshakable kingdom! And do you see how thankful we must be? Not only thankful, but brimming with worship, deeply reverent before God.

Hebrews 12:28 MSG

We are blessed beyond measure, more than we often realize. Make is a practice to start speaking gratitude out loud. Maybe even make a list of the things you are thankful for. Start with small, like the breath in your lungs. The food on your table. The job, even if you hate it, it’s helps provide a living.

What if you’re going through an issue that you can’t find anything to be grateful for? Start praying and in your prayers thank God for what He has done or for what He will do.

Thank you, God, that You are bringing health and strength to my body. Thank you, God, that You are bringing finances. Thank you, God, for Your provision. You’ll be amazed at what this does to your spirit!

This still shows the gratitude in all things and will change the perspective from a “woe is me” to a “I’m thankful, blessed, even though I’m a mess!”

So maybe this holiday season, instead of getting upset with all the dishes that are leftover after the meal that need to be cleaned up, say thank you that you had the opportunity to celebrate with others around you. Instead of getting upset that there are so many leftovers, be grateful that you had enough food at your table. Instead of getting frustrated with the traffic and all the Christmas shoppers or that the tree didn’t go up just right or that certain things didn’t happen the way you wanted, fretting about wanting everything to be perfect, worried about what silly thing that crazy Uncle will say, be blessed that you are here on this Earth to have another opportunity to celebrate the season with those around you.

Take some time and work on cultivating this thankfulness in all things and see what it does! Even in your mess, you can be blessed!