In one of my favorite Bing Crosby moments from White Christmas (my obsession with that film needs it's own blog post!) he sings a song about how to think about all of the great things you have in your life instead of worrying away evenings in bed.
This goes right in hand with a Christian "encouragement" blog post I read today. This woman was writing about having a fresh start in the new year and trying to set goals for herself. She wrote about feeling overwhelmed with pressure to get things just right in 2012 and how she often worries the year won't go the way she hopes.
One of the things she has started doing is at the start of each January she writes a list of all of her blessings, all of the times God has shown her grace and seen her through difficult times, in the year that JUST passed. She says that this helps her to practice gratitude, keep her thinking positive, to stay focused on herself instead of others, and also reminds her of something very important:
There are incredible things lying ahead that you can't even imagine at this point.
What a great concept! You are in control of your own life. God is on your side, and so are the people in your life who love you. SO many loved ones are working on your behalf that you don't even think about or remember at times. God has been faithful in the past and will continue to do so this year and in years to come. Despite the feeling of despair, stress, doubt or any circumstances that might stare you in the face, we need to be hopeful.
I have been listing in my head all day the things I learned, gained, triumphed over, and fought through in 2011 and cannot wait to see what the universe has in store for this gal in 2012.
I love this! I recently read that people who write down what they are grateful for are less likely to experience depression. Fascinating!
ReplyDelete