28 Days of Thankfulness

In my last post 2013 A Year of Faith I wrote of the three things I wanted to commit to during 2013 (and hopefully the rest of my life). But there's also another area of my life I'd like to be better at and that is to be thankful in all circumstances good and bad.

There are often things going on in my life that I wish I could do without and as a result I waste my energy on complaining and being frustrated about it. Whilst there are things that warrant complaining and then reforming/changing, there are also things I can not control and therefore shouldn't let it consume me. I've come up with my own motto to help me along the way...

 'If I'm not happy, [seek God] change it and be happy. If I can't change it, stop complaining and find something to be thankful for'.

Throughout my life there have been things (big and small) I didn't like or enjoy and made me somewhat unhappy. My unhappiness can take such a hold of me that I forget the things that are going well in my life and, the blessings I should be thanking God for.

One thing that makes me frustrated is the Darwin wet season weather which isn't actually very wet at the moment but, is certainly very hot! So hot it drives me insane and there are days I want to scream! But, I can't change the weather so, I should instead channel my energy to something I can be thankful for. 

Another 'thing' that had me unhappy and in discomfort was our mattress. It was only a very basic and cheap mattress which was bought over 3 1/2 years ago and, for the most part an okay bed to sleep on. However, since being married and having 2 in the bed, being on my second pregnancy which has resulted in chronic back pain and, also a childhood injury that tends to flare up, this too would make me unhappy. A good night sleep is one of life's must haves! This 'unhappiness' in my life was something that I could change so we did. We bought a good comfy mattress and I sleep better as a result. There was no need to keep complaining if we could do something about it.

Although these examples may be small and petty things to some they have actually been issues in my life that make me not such a great person to be around. If I don't like something than I should change it and if I can't change it I should get over it and be thankful for the good things in life.

Having said all this I still want to pray and ask for Gods will and guidence before changing anything in my life, it's important to consult God in all things. The weather and a bed may not be big things or issues but moving house or changing jobs are. It's important to always seek out Gods will as sometimes he gives us challenges and trials to build our faith, contentment and character so, maybe there are times that the things we can change shouldn't be changed?!

For the coming month of February I have set myself a challenge to be consciously thankful for at least one thing each day - 28 days of thankfulness. On days when I'm feeling tested and frustrated I shall remember to divert my thoughts and energy to being happy about something. 

If you'd like to follow my challenge you can follow me on Instagram under essiefong. If you'd like to join the challenge using Instagram then be sure to tag #28daysofthankfulness. Challenge will commence Feb 1st.

xxx