Gratitude Creates Abundance

Ever notice how when you stop to smell the flowers, there's more of them to smell?

Earlier this year, I started a gratitude journal. Every morning after my daily Bible reading and devotional, I would write out ten things I was grateful for that day... and they all had to be different from the previous day. It sounds like it would be difficult, but the longer I went, the easier it was to find things to be grateful for. I started noticing small things, and even big things, I had been missing before. A heart posture of gratitude creates a mindset of abundance. It shifted my focus to look at what I have been given versus what I was lacking.

As I continued my gratitude journal, I noticed myself feeling happier, more energized, and more positive throughout the day. Even when something went wrong (or just didn't go the way I wanted it to), I deferred to grateful. There were less moments of feeling down and out about the fact that I couldn't go anywhere because of the pandemic and more moments of joyfully finding something to do in the house. I was happier when I connected with friends via technology versus finding it routine or mundane. The more I found to be grateful for, the more there was to be grateful for.

In a world that hustles after being more, doing more, and having more, take a moment to stop and smell the flowers so you can see more. God has more for us than we can ever imagine, but we have to open our eyes to see it. And the key to opening our eyes is thanking Him for who He is, what He does, and what He has for us.

Let's make November a month of thanksgiving! Today, list ten things you're grateful for. Drop a few in the comments!

xoxo, Erin

The air gets clearer

The sun gets brighter

And my soul gets lighter

When I bless Your name.

- Something Always Changes x UPPERROOM