Often times we live our lives trying to catch up with what others are doing, with what the world says we should have, trying to look as happy as someone else looks.  Or we think of everything we don’t have, how pretty we are NOT, how fat or ugly we think we are, how little we have in comparison to the friend we have or our neighbor, or with everything everyone else has that we don’t.  Because of this type of thinking we often do not see what we should be grateful for that is clearly right in front of our faces.

I tend to be one of those people.  Many times I will go to someones house for a birthday party, or play date and think, “I could NEVER have these people over to my house!  My house is too small, too simple, too basic!”  I would go as far as to say I would even feel ashamed of my home.  The sad thing is that there is NOTHING wrong with my home!  We live on almost 2 acres of property.  It is beautiful too!  We are out in the country with neighbors that aren’t too close.  We have fresh air, quiet days and star-filled nights.  Our home is small compared to most peoples these days.  We don’t have extra storage space or extra rooms for people to stay the night in.  But it is cozy and we have made it ours.  It still needs some work that will be completed when the money allows but that is ok.  Our house is nice and it is a gift from God!

It is truly sad because far too often I spend so much time thinking about what I don’t have and what others do that I do not see the incredible blessings that are right in front of my face!  I get to live in a beautiful place, with great neighbors and I get to enjoy nature all around me.  I get to live in a place that allows me to homeschool my daughter even when someone else may not understand it.  I have plenty of food to eat, friends that love me and that I love and the most incredible husband and daughter on the planet.  And I get to worship MY God however I choose.  That may not be popular by a lot of people but it is still legal in our country.

So I am on a gratitude journey.  After asking for forgiveness for not appreciating all that God has given me, and repenting of it I am going forward and searching out all the gifts God is giving me each and every single day.  I am going to be posting those things from time to time and I encourage you to do the same.  If you are abundant in your life, even if it doesn’t look like what someone else’s abundance looks like, give up the complaining and praise God!  Because when we are faithful with the little He gives us then we will be blessed with abundance because He can trust what we will do with it.

God bless each and every one of you.  I am grateful for each person that came here today to read what I had to say…  What God has put on my heart… And what God has planned for each and every one of you!

2013, I RESOLVE to live in a constant state of gratitude!

This was written from an image prompt “Resolve” from Free Write Friday.  To join the writing prompt click the button below and it will take you to Free Write Friday’s page.