Grace, Gratitude & God

What's in your heart?  

I've been thinking about one of my favorite phrases recently - "Fake it until you feel it"

In the past couple of weeks, I have had some people make hurtful comments.  Those comments have hurt my feelings, made me feel resentful and unappreciated.  I don't sit well with those types of feelings, never have.  

It's quite simple - the grass on the side you water is the grass that grows.  I can find people to live in the negative with me and validate those feelings OR I can hop the fence to another side and nurture the feelings and the life where I sit well in my soul.  Not a tough choice.

Grace, Gratitude & God

Grace is undeserved, unearned, unmerited favor.  

What a gift grace is.  It's an amazing, under recognized gift.   God shows grace.  No matter what you do, God shows grace.  When us mere mortals get outraged with criminal, immoral behavior or even  little grudges, God shows grace.  Shouldn't we strive to do the same?  I should.  It sits well in my soul.   

If we are in a situation where we cannot show grace yet, "fake it until you feel it" comes into play.   It's a step towards grace really.  Being sullen, sour, holding a grudge - that is a step away from grace.  Sharing unhappiness with people, that's another step away from grace!  Making snarky comments or backhanded compliments, further from grace.

Each of us have that choice - step toward grace or step away.  My goal will always be towards grace...sometimes as my close friends can share, I take detours but as soon as I'm aware, I schedule my GPS back toward grace.  It's where I want to reside.

Gratitude goes hand and hand with grace.  If you give or receive grace, gratitude probably comes easier.  Gratitude is the best way to show love.  Grace and gratitude are the roads to love.  Doesn't it all come down to love?  We want to receive and return love.

Grace + Gratitude = God because who shows us more grace, teaches gratitude and stands for love more than God.  No one.

When you show grace, grace comes back at you tenfold.  

When you rest in gratitude, no matter how difficult a time you are going through, joy will be your reward.   I remember one of the darkest times of my life, when my Mom passed.  Getting through ten minutes seemed impossible, let alone through a day.  I claimed a mantra, "There are blessings in the journey."  I cried.  All the time, I cried and cried.  Even writing this, the tears flow because how can my Mom be gone?  But I looked for blessings and no matter how small they were, I was grateful.  

Show grace, have gratitude and stay close to God in your journey.  

The rest will take care of itself.  It always does.