A few years ago I listened to "the Hiding Place" on Audible. It's the true story of Corrie TenBoom. During the second world war she and he family hid Jews from the Nazi soldiers. When found out she, her sister and their elderly father were hauled off to a prison camp and eventually shipped off in a livestock train to a concentration camp. The novel recounts unbelievable details of the life they experienced there. One of the first things that struck me was when they were shipped off in the livestock train. The car had been filled with 40 women, yet they continued to load them in until there were 80 women packed in, standing, chest to back, for hours until they reached the camp where they were starved and abused. Despite all of this, Corrie's sister Betsy managed to remain positive and often found things to be grateful for, things that most would never chose to be grateful for. Miraculous gratitude.
At one point Betsy encourages everyone to remain thankful for life and even prays and thanks God for the lice in their filthy sleeping quarters. Corrie scoffs at he sister when she thanks God for the lice but is thankful for the shift in attitude amongst the women who had been quarrelling. Years later Corrie discovered that the lice had actually kept the guards away, allowing the women to talk and sing and read their Bible, which had given them hope and purpose in that dark place. Betsy dies in that camp. She never learns this information herself. Yet she makes the decision to the thankful nonetheless.
I don't know about you but my life is pretty fantastic compared to Betsy's. I am reminded of this often when I am tempted to grumble about my life and how hard I think it is. I need this perspective to keep me from grumbling and complaining, which just brings misery.
So todays I challenge you to go beyond being grateful. It's easy to list off things without allowing ourselves to really appreciate them. Today I challenge you to be thankful for something you would typically complain about. Something that may even make you miserable.
I've noticed an incredible thing happens when we choose to be thankful for things we typically would complain about. It shifts how we see that thing. It gives us an ability to see the good in a thing. Even in really ugly, messy things.
As I write this I am convicted of a few things that I have been grumbling about. I've actually gotten to a place where I can see the good that comes from the really hard things. The big things that have changed my life. It's actually the mundane things that I have allowed to cause me so much grief. The lego scattered down the hallway and across my sons floor, the shoes strewn across the lawn, the tiny porch that doesn't have enough storage for all the shoes that a family of 6 needs. The rain that threatens to drown our crops. The annoying email I received from a family member who meant well...... are any of these things on your list?
So today I'm choosing to be thankful for all of these things. It's amazing how my mindset shifts when I choose to be thankful for them. I automatically look for the ways that these things can be beneficial in my life. And all of a sudden they don't frustrate me any longer.
So head over to your self care journal. You may need an extra sheet of paper for this one! List off a few of those things that have been bothering you, choose to be grateful for them, what do you notice change in you?
Bless you friend!
Listen to the amazing true story yourself. Listen to The Hiding Place for free here
When you are ready, here are 3 ways I can help you beat stress:
Grab your Free Self Care Guide
Grab your Complete & Empowered Real Self Care workbook
0 Comments