Replace “Taking for Granted” with “Having Gratitude”

It would be easy to be stressed today. The last Monday before Christmas and just six days to go until the big day. I don’t know about you, but my day isn’t turning out to be particularly productive.

My little one went to bed last night with sniffles and woke this morning with ear aches and a terrible sore throat. So instead of hustling and bustling like a good little elf, I’m cuddling and caring and letting the day move along slowly.

And it’s a good reminder that we often get so caught up in what we have to do we start taking for granted what we get to do. With just a little perspective shift we start to realize just how much we are blessed by what we get to do.

Today I get to pick up tissues, warm up soup and watch Lego building episodes on YouTube, all because God blessed me with the gift of motherhood 7+ years ago. Even a blessing like motherhood can start to feel normal until you step back and realize there are countless women praying to be blessed with a day just like mine. With a child to mother and a little nose to wipe.

Today I get to stay home because I’m blessed to be married to a man who isn’t afraid of hard work and willingly sacrifices every day for our little family. And staying home, as my friend Retha would say, is a luxury.

It’s so easy to slip into a routine and take for granted the things we get to do, especially when we feel overwhelmed by the things we have to do.

My encouragement to you today, as we head into this last week before Christmas, is to take notice of all the things you get to do today instead of stressing over the ones you feel you have to do. Simply replacing taking for granted with having gratitude will spin your perspective around. Because when we stop taking things (and people) for granted and instead embrace them with gratitude and grace we start to see just how blessed we are.

Wishing you a wonderful week and a very Merry Christmas!