I’m a new mom. And it’s hard. I think it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done to date.
I’m disappointed that hard times bring out the worst in me. My friend Todd told me once that it’s hardest for him to care about others’ needs when he’s sick or going through a hard time personally. I’ve noticed the same trend in my life.
I was reminded recently about gratefulness and how important it is to practice being grateful. It might sound weird to practice gratefulness, but I know that for me it doesn’t just come naturally. Especially during hard times. But it’s exceptionally important for me to be grateful in hard times because it helps me get the focus off myself and on God and other people, which I think is the best place to live. And life could always be worse than it is.
So I’ve resolved to exercise my grateful-muscle more often. Here’s a start:
I’m grateful for a healthy baby Howard who lives at my house and not in the hospital.
I’m grateful for a husband who cares for me and Howard, and that I don’t have to care for Howard all by myself.
I’m grateful that Howard is napping right now so that I can even be writing this post.
How have you seen gratefulness change your perspective?
I agree this is so crucial and sooo hard sometimes. One thing that we've implemented in our house is that we share things every night that we're thankful for before we pray as we tuck Jenna in. I think it benefits me way more than Jenna but I'm hoping that she'll be more wired than I am to be thankful even when it's hard.
Great idea, Jody. Jason and I desperately want to teach our kids the discipline and heart of gratefulness – beyond just the habit of saying "thank you" when someone gives you something. Jenna is already so blessed to have you and Matt as parents.