Timeless Tuesday - The Blessing of Life

Life is a blessing. It's so true, it's become cliché. We know it's a blessing. We don't need anyone to tell us again.

What if we started acting like it? What if we were enthusiastic every time the sun dawned and we were alive to experience it? What if we took a few minutes to marvel at the rhythmic rise and fall of our chest with every life-giving breath? What if we started thanking God for our to-do lists instead of bemoaning them?

Michael Hyatt, former CEO at Thomas Nelson Publishing House, and a leadership guru, suggests we stop saying "I have to..." and instead say, "I get to...", You can read his entire blog post about it here. It's a positive shift in attitude.

Check it out: I don't have to do the laundry today, I get to, because I'm blessed with a family to care for. I don't have to teach a Sunday school class, I get to, because sharing what matters deeply to me with people I care about gives my life purpose. I don't have to go to work today, I get to, because it provides for my family's wants and needs.

Wow! What a difference one word can make in the way I view my life. That tiny change helps me start acting like my life is a blessing. And magically, when I start acting like it, it starts feeling like it.

So my challenge to you (and myself) is to change "have to" to "get to" and see what happens. It's the beginning of living a life of gratitude, which is a beautiful neighborhood in which to live.

What other small changes have helped you acknowledge the amazing gift of life? Share them in the comments.

Linda

On my vacation, I started rereading Ann Voskamp's One Thousand Gifts. It's one of my favorite books and I figured it was a good time of year to read it again. It's all about learning to be grateful, even in hard times. I highly recommend it. I'm considering starting a gratitude journal, like Ann did, writing down three things every day for which I'm thankful. Voskamp noted in her book that in scripture, giving thanks always preceded the miracle. I wonder what miracles could have happened in my life had I been more thankful.

It's the day before Thanksgiving. Why not start giving thanks early and continue it all year long?

Linda

Love and Gratitude

Love and gratitude. Two timeless things for this Timeless Tuesday. Breathe them in. Breathe them out. We could change the world if we all did this every day. Have a great day!

Linda

Gratitude Pillow

This quote from Maya Angelou rings true in my heart. When I turn my focus to gratitude, the whole world looks so much better. When I end my day thinking about all my blessings and the things that went right, rather than wrong that day, I sleep more peacefully. Gratitude is a soft place to live, to sleep, even to cry. Because even in the midst of sadness, there are always things to be thankful for. Blessing and hardship often come hand in hand. Hardship yells. Blessing whispers. But both are present. And an outpouring of thanksgiving and gratitude transforms the quiet blessing into a raucous praise song. I'm thankful for God's constant faithfulness. What about you? List one of your life blessings in the comments.

 Linda

Bratitude or Gratitude? by Linda McQuinn Carlblom



We're only a week away from Thanksgiving and everyone's talking about being thankful. It's a good practice, but one we sometimes don't let filter down to our kids. Let's face it--kids can be kinda selfish. Without some intentional guidance they can turn into downright brats. I hate that word! I never called my kids brats and never let anyone else say that about them either. How dare they! But truth is, they sometimes were.
And so am I.
And so are you.
So how do we avoid being brats, whatever our age?
Thankfulness. Gratitude. Living with appreciation for the people in our lives. Even the ones who are tough to tolerate. They teach us patience. Even those less fortunate. They teach us compassion. And especially those we love. They teach us joy.

How can we pass this grateful living on to our children? By pointing out blessings.

"Look at that cute old couple holding hands."
"I'm so thankful for this cold ice cream cone on this hot day."
"That sunshine feels glorious."
"Look how beautiful those flowers are."
"Seeing those kids riding their bikes through the puddles makes me feel happy."
"Look how kind that man is to his dog."
"Thank you for taking your plate to the sink."

Statements like these train your child's eye to see the good in the world. It cultivates appreciation. It transforms bratitude to gratitude. And it makes the world a nicer place for us all.

So go ahead. Start looking for blessings and feel your thankfulness overflow.