I want to grow in gratitude. I want to nurture positive thinking in myself, in my family, and in the world around me. So I'm going to start writing about gratitude on a regular basis. I am going to include Mr. Linky, just in case any of you want to write about gratitude and positive thinking so you can encourage the world around you, too. If you do, please link back to me! Otherwise, you can simply share your positive thoughts with me via the comment form.
Today's subject matter is the "Madame Blueberry syndrome". This is a serious issue for me. If you haven't seen Madame Blueberry, she is basically unhappy about all the material possessions in her life. In her estimation, they are substandard, and she won't be happy until she has all brand new stuff, just like her friends and neighbors.
Uggh! My life is a cartoon!
I am embarrassingly like MB. I look around at my home and I am constantly discontent. My curtains are falling apart, my almost-new carpet is terribly stained already, the paint is peeling on the front porch and the gutters need cleaning. Oh, and I have a set of knives from 1988 that I curse every time I try to use them. The laminate on my bathroom cabinets is peeling, and the cats have discovered this, so they are now using it as a scratching post. One of the children melted a spot on our sofa with a hairdryer. The list goes on. . . .And these are all entirely accurate statements. But do they reflect what is true in my life?
You can see that I have some work to do in this area, not because I have "stuff" that is wearing out, but because I can't get past it. I obsess about how to get better "stuff" in my life, instead of focusing on what is truly important.
Enter one of my favorite Scriptures: "Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thess. 5:16-18). How miserably do I fall short of this mandate!
My attempt from now until my next post (my goal is to post about this once a week), is to not grumble and complain. In addition, I will choose to give thanks in each and every circumstance. Of course, it may be difficult for me to quantify the results, as thoughts are so fluid and immeasurable. But I will do my best to give an accurate report of my progress.
How about you? Are you able to rejoice always, pray continually, and give thanks in all circumstances? Or do you struggle with complaining and grumbling?
Hey Jen,
ReplyDeleteYou are not alone girl! Of course I struggle with not always rejoicing, praying continually, and giving thanks in all circumstances. But I strive to do it daily.
My home is not MY ideal either. I have learned to try to make the most of it! We have paneling everywhere...well almost. I hate it. It is so dark! It can be painted. And will soon! ONe room at a time!
Sometimes we just get overwhelmed and miss the opputunity to make things better. Spot shot works fantastic on carpet. A throw or pillow works great to cover up the spot on the couch. Painting your cabinets that are peeling will make them feel new. Another thing that I do to help make my home feel better. Clean it really, really good. It makes all the things you want to change not so bad anymore. Or at least that is the way for me.
Just being willing to not complain or grumble, and to have a thakful heart is awesome! Oh yeah reading all the stories around blogland about Stellan and others also make me appreciate the really important things in life too! I am blessed!
You are a great person Jen! Hope things look up for you!
Of course we all complian and grumble - we are HUMAN :)
ReplyDeleteSince you are going with the VeggieTales theme, just think of the song Junior sings "A thankful heart is a happy heart, I'm glad for what I have, that's an easy place to start" I seriously sing that to myself all the time :)