This month, I've been doing the whole 30 days of thankfulness. Today, to be honest, I'm just not feeling it. I know - we aren't supposed to let our emotions dictate our actions, but some days that's just hard to do.
Today would be one of those days.
It doesn't help that I am sleep-deprived and there is no sun shining today. Somehow, it just seems easier to be thankful when I can see blue skies and the sun shining - even if the temperatures are in the 30s.
I dragged myself out of bed and did my exercise tape. Then I dropped the kids off at school. When I returned home, I sort of wandered aimlessly around the house, wiping off this counter, putting that load in the washer. I had an article to write and other things to do, but I couldn't seem to get motivated or focused.
I finally did my Bible study and was cheered by the idea that God's work is not frantic activity but trusting Him.
It wasn't until this afternoon though, that God smacked me upside the head with my ungrateful, whiny spirit. I was scrolling through Facebook when I saw a link to this blog:
Okay, I admit that I had to get out my tissues because it made me cry. It also made me aware, once again, of the many blessings in my life. I can't imagine going through what this woman has. I am praying for her and I hope you will too.
Then tonight I sat down in my chair with my knitting and caught the last half hour of the Pixar movie Up. I'm actually a big fan of good animated movies. Rio made me laugh out loud and Tangled was charming. Let's face it, there isn't all that much out there these days that I can watch without fear of my kids hearing or seeing something offensive - even on regular television!
I love the main character, Carl Fredricksen - the way his face is square and his glasses are square and his body is square and how he is endearingly grumpy (I know that sounds like an oxymoron but it's true). Carl meets tomboy Ellie when they are young. Eventually they marry and you see a montage of Ellie and Carl's life together - the highs and the lows. Before you know it, they are elderly, and Ellie passes away before Carl can take her on that last grand adventure. He feels like he has failed her, so he holes up in his house becoming a sort of living museum exhibit.
Until Russell shows up - an inept Wilderness Explorer scout. Together, much against Carl's will, they go on a grand adventure.
Up always makes me cry a little, especially at the end when Carl looks at Ellie's adventure book and instead of being blank, it shows pictures of their life together. On the last picture is a little note that says, "Thanks for the adventure. Now go have a new one. Love, Ellie."
Why does it make me tear up? It's because Ellie chose to see their simple life together as an adventure - joyful and full of life. Realizing that changes Carl. He ends up being a grandpa-like figure to Russell and finding joy and adventure in life, instead of being stuck in a house living a bland, repetitive existence.
My attitude and perspective define how I live my life. I can see things through the lens of discontent and an ungrateful heart OR I can see the it as the grand adventure God intends it to be.
True joy and thankfulness isn't the result of circumstances - it's the result of how I choose to see my circumstances.
~ Blessings, Bronte
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