Thankful, Grateful, Blessed

Oh, how I love a good t-shirt saying! It may sound ridiculous, but I am always on the hunt to find mottos that I can wear out loud and after struggling a bit to narrow down my blog topic today, Facebook again, saved the day. “Thankful, Grateful and Blessed” perfectly sums up my 2014 and the first day of 2015, so much so that I am indeed, ordering that shirt!

It should be said that in no way was 2014 a fairytale year for me. But, I didn’t want today’s blog to talk about the hundreds of resolutions that I need to set, nor do I care to highlight the plethora of mistakes that I made in 2014. And though I woke up with my head swimming in a sea of blog ideas, my most predominant thoughts were those of gratitude and peace. And let me tell ya, it’s been a long while since January 1st has felt this good. No hangover, no condemnation for drinking too much the night before, and no guilt for wanting to drink again to dilute the stew of toxic feelings. Wow. Today is already a blessed day.

My heart is so full of joy, that I think it may burst. And if people are encouraged by the overflow of others, then I could surely pep talk a small city today. I am so thankful for this life that if I were to make a list of all the things I hold most dear, it would no doubt end up a novel and not a blog. So, I’m going to make an effort to only type the words God gives me. After all, He knows what needs to be said and how to say it, so I will stick with His plan.

First and foremost, we need to stop beating ourselves up over past mistakes. A mistake should only become a regret if we refuse to learn from it. God is “all abut that grace,” so why shouldn’t we be, as well? He forgives us, so why is it so hard to forgive ourselves? We are sons and daughters of the Most High; that’s royalty. Let’s start seeing ourselves for who we truly are; kids of the Kingdom with a Heavenly Father who puts no conditions on HIs love. So, let’s do the same. Let us love ourselves and others without conditions. We aren’t perfect, so let’s stop expecting perfection from ourselves and others. We are our own worst critic; let 2015 be a time of becoming our biggest fans.

No matter what season we traveled through in 2014; we were and remain warriors. We are alive and breathing today because we not only survived the trials and tribulations thrown at us, but we came out victorious. Let’s see ourselves as victors; not as victims. We will not be naive and pretend that 2015 will be a battle-free year. No, we will most certainly have days where the combat will dominate and we will be exhausted. This is life. The key here, is to approach each day battle-clad, and proactive. We can and will win the battle as long as we follow God’s plan for our lives.

I want to encourage you and say that you did well in 2014. You are here and you have a definite plan and a purpose. This is not new, or something that I am flattering you with. God has always had a successful plan just for you and it was formulated before you ever took up residence in your momma’s womb. True story! Bless you for all that you have done and will continue to do in 2015. Take a bow, friends; you “done” good.  And if no one has told you how awesome you are today; let me be the first, “You are awesome.”

I know that this may sound corny or cliche’ but today really is the first page in our 365-page book. Anyone can write a best-seller, but I think it’s important to determine why people would want to read our books. I mean, is it like a train wreck where people cannot take their eyes off of the tragedies and poor choices we make? And the reader remains entertained simply because we make a mess of things and never learn from the poor decisions being made. Ummmm…Best-seller or not, I’m gonna respectfully decline authoring a novel that has no real value to those who read it. How much better would it be if our best-sellers had a plot line  where the characters aren’t perfect; no one is, but one where we learn from our imperfections? A novel where the reader is encouraged, or even inspired, because we offer them hope. Hope that even in the darkest of times, just a glimmer of light can turn things around. After all, light always outshines the darkness. And make no mistake, the light is present in each of us.

I want to leave you with a final thought. You are an an overcomer. It matters not what others say about you. You will never please everyone and there will be people, gasp…who don’t like you. And guess what? That’s okay. What matters most is what God thinks and says about you. He calls you, “beloved.” Take that in. Meditate on it. He has only the most perfect plans for you and when storms come, He equips you with what you need to survive and overcome.

This is my final thought, for real this time: You can be sure that there is something beautiful in everyday; you just have to find it. Sometimes, it’s an easy find; other days, we may have to use GPS. But, something beautiful can always be found. Happy New Year, friends. Hugs and blessings to you all. 🙂 I think I’ll order that shirt now. My cup runneth over.

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