I don’t know about you, but I am kind of tired of talking about the coronavirus. I’m tired of hearing about it on the news. I am tired of seeing so many posts about it on Facebook. I am tired of all the pain and grief that it is causing. Not that I want to put my head in the sand, or ignore the reality going on around us, but I want to take a little break and talk about something different.
Every night at dinner our family shares our “highs and lows” from the day. Sometimes by the end of our day all we can end up thinking about is how long we spent cooped up in our house and how many arguments we had over chores and screen time. It can sometimes feel like there weren’t any “highs” during our day because of the overwhelming feeling of confinement that pervades our day. If all we focused on was the doom and gloom, there would be no way that we would all make it through the sheltering in place order without mentally breaking down.
As a way to change our viewpoints, since Easter, my family has been trying to find ways to look for little bits of gratitude throughout the day. Our kids have been filling out “The 3 Minute Gratitude Journal for Kids” each evening. It asks them to list three things they are thankful for, the person that brought them joy that day, their overall feeling for the day, and the best part of their day. It has been interesting to watch them fill it out because they will start out with a “blah” feeling for the day, but after listing all of the best parts of their day, they will go back and change their feeling for the day to something upbeat. There are plenty of options online for journals that encourage gratitude, happiness, mindfulness, and so much more, that I encourage you to explore.
Searching for moments of gratitude is not a new concept. Usually, every November you will see people on social media participating in the #ThankfulnessChallenge, where you post something you are thankful for each day of the month. But in a time when so much negativity is pressing down on us, I think it is vital for us to look for at least one thing that brought us joy, or that we are thankful for, from that particular day. You can find the way that works best for you: maybe it's a journal, maybe you put slips of paper in a jar, maybe you post online. If you choose to join me in this daily practice, let us also lift these moments of gratitude to God in prayer. We trust that our God is God of love and is working to make moments of creation, restoration, peace, love, acceptance, healing, and awe happen in our lives. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God!
Psalm 23:1-3 - (The Message Bible)
Come, let’s shout praises to God,
raise the roof for the Rock who saved us!
Let’s march into his presence singing praises,
lifting the rafters with our hymns!
And why? Because God is the best!
Thankful for each and every one of you,
Pastor Corey