"How have you been lately?" "I have been sooo...grateful..."

I have a lot of stuff in my head that I have wanted to blog about recently, but since it’s that time of year, I am going to express my thankfulness of the life God chose for me.

I definitely don’t think November is the only time to take a deep look at your life and express thanks—whether it be to a friend, family member or JC himself—but I am certainly grateful for the Thanksgiving holiday because it always gives me a new perspective on the “things” I am grateful for and that I take for granted every single day. 

One thing that has been weighing heavily on my heart is my particular response to someone asking me: “How have you been lately?” If you know me and you’re a part of my life on a consistent basis, you know exactly what my answer has been for the past 6 months and what it was if you asked me the same question today. “Busy—good, but busy.” Well folks, good news: I am going to stop with that nonsense.  Not because me being busy is not a fact, sure…it's the truth, but because I think responding like that gives a negative vibe.  I don’t want people to show me empathy because I make it seem like my life is “so hectic”, because really, it’s not. At all. I should be continually grateful that I have things that occupy my schedule, ie: lots of wonderful friends who are all such blessings in my life, a large family full of so much character and love, a job that presents me new opportunities to grow in my career, my legs, arms and health so that I have the ability to run and workout, and a church family in which I have a desire to grow in daily. If you told me I had to remove one or more of those things from my life, I would at you like you were crazy. I couldn’t pick or choose. So why would I ever look at my schedule and complain? I have no reason to. But, as you can see, I have plenty of reasons on why I should be grateful.  

So no more of that “I am soooo busy” (with an exhausted look on my face) nonsense. I am going to try my hardest to turn that into a positive vibe. I am so thankful God has given me the life he did. And I am mostly grateful for my Savior…who gives me a completely different perspective on life every day. He gave me life through his own pain and undeserved sufferings. I am fully confident that God has given me the opportunities He has for reasons I may not understand for years. He is preparing my heart for so much...things that I don’t have a single clue about. But, I trust Him. I know He is faithful and I know everything He gives me and puts in my path is for a purpose. I am thankful for it all. 

::Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. :: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18