Perspectives and gratitude

     Fun fact, writing when it's cold is actually kind of hard. My fingers get kind of stiff but it feels at least a little ridiculous to wear gloves inside so I'll just have to type quickly and hope my hands warm up. With that said, I am so glad for the change of weather. It's so beautiful outside and I'm so glad to be living in my sweaters and underneath as many blankets as I can find. Maybe it's uncommon but I like the bare branches and yellow grass. I like seeing my breath when I exhale. Autumn is my favorite season but mostly towards the end, when winter is promised and it's cold and the light seems somehow softer. I don't know. I find this time of year, this season, to be the most poetic of them all and I really am happy to be alive. 

    That's kind of what I want to talk about today. I know that in the next two weeks especially, there will be an influx of posts about gratitude, at least in the U.S., and maybe this message is a little early or the last thing you want to hear but it's something I've been meditating on for the past couple days. Besides, Christmas decorations are popping up everywhere and Thanksgiving seems like it'll be a bust for most people, which is such a shame. We've all needed something to celebrate this year and maybe that's why there are so many more Christmas things around. We just want light and joy and hope, we need it. 

    I talk about this a lot, I know, especially considering I'm still learning how to do this. I often forget to look for the good, to choose joy, or even to be kind, especially to myself. It's easy to write about but so hard to get into the habit of but I am learning and growing and though I make mistakes, I know there's grace and all I can do is try. All this to say, learn how to be grateful for the season you're in. In some aspects, this is both easier and harder than choosing joy. If you can't even be glad for the season you're in, how can you be grateful for it? For me, it seems like a smaller jump the joy, it's more manageable. The areas where there are gaps in our lives are the places where God has room to move and we have room to grow. In the season where you feel lost and confused, God has so much space to bring something good out of it. We have so much opportunity to learn and grow. I think that's why gratitude is easier for me. I understand that there's a process and it's easy to trust even when I do feel miserable and start to question how things are supposed to work out. God is still there in those moments and I genuinely find myself turning to Him more as I get older and as my perspective changes. 

    I have never seen life through rose-colored glasses. Unless tea is involved, my glass is half empty. Joy has never been my strong suit, I mostly just aim for contentment because there's less opportunity for disappointment. There are virtues to both sides but it's important to make the most out of every season. Let God have His perfect work in you. Learn to look for the good when things are less than ideal. At the beginning of this year, I had so many ideas of what my life was going to look like and so many plans. Nothing worked out the way like I pictured in my head but God has remained faithful. He cares about you which I feel is so... cliché to say. As Christians, we hear it so often that it can become meaningless and I might go into this later as it's something else that I've been thinking about but for now, I just want to emphasize that God is in control and He does care. Even if you can't find it in you to be grateful for the seasons and situations you find yourself in, learn to at least thank God for His steadfastness.

    In the storm our emotions create, it's so easy to forget that we do have control over how we react. Thanksgiving is a choice, joy is a choice, and vice versa, so is wallowing and anger. Choose to change how you look at things, let yourself have hope and allow your faith to grow with every circumstance. Be gentle with yourself and with others. I haven't read the book, I've only seen the movie but in Pollyanna, they play a game called the Glad Game where you look for the good. Find things to be thankful for, even if they're small at first. It doesn't have to be hard or grand, you just have to take that first step. 

    I hope all of you have a lovely week! I pray that God gives you strength and peace as we go into the holidays with all the uncertainty that's been around and that He gives you what you need to see you through. Thank you so much for reading!

Yours Truly,

Rey.