Gratitude

 

  In the midst of struggles with chronic illness, special needs frustrations, and the general busyness of family life approaching the holidays, I can forget to be grateful. Very much a first-world issue: I'm alive, with adequate food, shelter, and safety; my daughter receives multiple services to help her to progress towards a functional adulthood; and I'm blessed to have a large family and extended family to enjoy special occasions with and to enjoy gift-giving opportunities. So... how to refocus on that gratitude that is so essential to respond to God's grace?  

GRACE: the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.

One answer is to schedule downtime. If I don't have margin time, I'm barely functioning, so I need to UNDERestimate what I have time to do. (Major battle for me, as I'm the eternal optimist with my time, and assume everything takes about half the time it typically takes!) Another answer is to prioritize! I've gotten better in my parenting years, but this is definitely an ongoing goal. Yet another answer is to be sure that self-care happens. If I overdo and crash, that will not help me or my family. I need my sleep, healthy diet, and joyful calm to be able to help them; all the airline attendants tell you to put on your own mask first, and then others!

I love this verse as a reminder. How completely wonder-full is it that God's power is made perfect in weakness!! I don't have to BE this perfect ideal of womanhood as wife, mother, and child of God, because His power is made PERFECT in my WEAKNESS! That's what His grace is all about... unmerited, undeserved, so beyond anything that I could ever earn or repay.   THIS is what Thanksgiving is all about. THIS is why we rejoice at our Savior's birth.   If my first world, busy life pulls me away from this center, then I'm in the wrong. I need to repent, turn back, and run to God. Maybe that looks like scheduling downtime, maybe it looks like reprioritizing my life, maybe it looks like better self-care, but it is really dropping my burdens to run to my Father.   I pray that all in this world may find their gratitude for God's grace, and live in His joy this holiday season!

Happiest of Thanksgivings to each of you, in Jesus' name!