I thought and thought about what I should write today. I gave it at least 2 minutes of thought.
A funny Friday list thing??
Friday’s are usually my “light”, rambly day, where I brain-vomit all over myself and this blog.
(I just trademarked that word. Brain-vomit. So don’t even try to use it.)
I even filmed a tutorial on making an egg white scramble with roasted vegetables. Pah.
It didn’t save to my iPhone. I’m taking that as a sign to stay out of the kitchen for a few months.
Maybe a workout? My fitness brain HAS been INSPIRED by these fitmixer Bootcamp workouts!
No. None of that stuff.
When I really THOUGHT about what I wanted to say (and remember saying, because this blog is also a virtual scrapbook for me), the Lord spoke to my heart.
I had to be THANKFUL.
Not so much a “what I’m thankful for” post.
(there is truly SO much. Everything and anything. Just yesterday, I was blessed with a new training client, a thoughtful care package from Lauren, and some EXCITING blog news!)
Being THANKFUL.
An adjective. A descriptive word.
And in this case, a word which requires ACTION on your part.
To ACTIVELY CHOOSE thankfulness is to honor God and His blessings.
Christian or not, you gotta be thankful. And it’s gotta come from the heart.
You guys! Look around. Every.single.thing within your sight, touch, smell…all of it…is a BLESSING.
(That you didn’t earn. That wasn’t given through your good deeds.)
But rather, because God loves you SO VERY MUCH.
When we become so self-involved and forget humility, it is easy to think that by our merits, our brain, our good looks, whatever, that we somehow DESERVE what we have.
Now, I’m not discounting hard work. OR self love! Not at all!
But where do you think that ambition and drive comes from?
The more I look around, the more I see God’s hand.
Over my children. My marriage. This blog and the opportunities that continue to arise.
Over this little house. The air I breath. Over the food I burn.
All beautiful gifts.
Big and small, they’re all part of His love letter to us. How very romantic.
Today, I am humbled. Feeling blessed.
And I’m thankful.
Church is dismissed. ;)
QUESTION: How do you practice thankfulness? What are you thankful for?
splendid…lindsay
Thank you for posting. I wake up every morning and thank God for giving me another day on this earth and thank Him for all of the amazing blessings in my life. Everything is in a totally different perspective when you stop and say thank you to the one who created it all for us!!
beautiful post girl! It is amazing when we step back and see how God is working in our lives. We are all so very blessed! :)
so much to be thankful for and so much we let pass by. thank YOU for reminding us and now i must go kiss my husband, cause i am thankful for him. Maybe i’ll do more. teehee
Amen! I’ve got to get back to posting my regular ‘thankful thursdays’! You should join me sometimes, too! It’s easy to overlook all of our blessings.
Being thankful has been a key component in my life whether or not I always wanted it to be. When I would complain as a kid, my Mom made me list 10 things i’m thankful for…this wasn’t supposed to be a punishment, just a way to turn my brain around the other way. Now I “use” this technique on my husband…it’s amazing how well it works! There is no room for both complaining and thanking at the same time. :)
Beautiful post sweetheart!
Today, I am thankful for being able to come home for the summer to live with my family and I think I do put my thankfulness in action. My Mom just told me I am the best daughter. I do whatever I can do to help her and my Dad <3 I truly appreciate them and without thinking, show my thankfulness
Stay out of the kitchen for a few months? LOL. I work in a cancer hospital. Especially when I see the children… I am thankful for my health and my kids health all the time.
Haha, laughing at brain vomit. What a great word. This is such a great post Lindsay! I think sometimes we take thankfulness for granted and don’t reach out to those who need to be thanked. Even for the smallest of things. What a positive post for this Friday going into the weekend! And I have to add that your kids are absolutely adorable! I am thankful for so much in my life that I can’t even list it all, I am just thankful to be alive and thriving in this world! Have a great weekend!
I try to be thankful in my prayer every single day. Never does a day go by when there is something amazing given to me. Not always a physical thing, but just something someone did too. Loving this Friday post!
What a way to start a Friday! TGIF!
I’m thankful for so many things… but for the sake of time, I’ll just say I’m so thankful to discover this whole blogging world and the new friends I’m gaining! I’ve been so blessed to have this opportunity and I just hope it continues to grow!
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!!
I’m so very grateful for all the help my friends and family have been providing me with all of the wedding planning and moving/packing we’re busy with. I’m also extremely grateful to the Lord for my amazing fiance. I run my first half on Sunday and he’s been nothing but supportive!
I love this post.
I think I’ve mentioned before that I’m not religious. But I love people who are and that practice in a very positive way (read: Not hating on others because they don’t conform to their beliefs).
And I love the idea of practicing thankfulness — regardless of your religious beliefs. Even if you don’t believe in a maker, you should be thankful that LIFE exists. And for the day. And for all the things you have. Without that, how can you have a positive outlook?
Thanks for posting, lady! And your kiddos are super cuuuuute.
Amen! I love this! I practice thankfulness by turning a crappy situation into an opportunity to thank God for whatever the plan is on the other side of it. I also take a look around me most days when I step outside and just breathe in the air and say a little ‘thank you’ for the beauty that surrounds me.
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. What a wonderful reminder not just to BE thankful but to PRACTICE thankfulness, with a truly mindful approach to it. Thank you for sending this message today, I totally dig it and needed the reminder. I love this.
Great post!
So many of us, me included get caught up in the days annoyances and wants instead of feeling thankful for what we do have. I try to remember this everyday.
I’m thankful that I have a husband who adores me and I him, after almost 19 yrs together, 2 beautiful healthy children, & my health. I’m also thankful that we have not lost our home in these economic times that have beaten most of us down. I’m thankful that God is making an appearance in my life as of late and I’m learning to accept him and welcome him.
Thankfulness/gratitude is a lost art these days. I am truly thankful for my many blessings but I have to stop and remember that there are many bad situations I’ve been but I still need to be thankful for those, not just the good. It’s easy to be thankful with good health, job, house, parents/family – but what about when that’s taken away? I’ve thought it before but Katies post on gratitude really made me think again. Specifically about losing my mom. It felt unfair but I had to stop and be thankful that God allowed me to be her daughter, that I had her for 36 years, and that I’ll see her again one day. It now perplexes me for Christians to say “I got a great report from the doctor! God is good!” Yes, that’s praiseworthy for sure; but what if you get a bad report and it’s cancer? Is God NOT good? No! God is good always and that’s why it is so important to cultivate (for me) an attitude of thankfulness and praise. I’m glad to read this today along with a few other verses (souldetox) that really remind me to change my thoughts – to be thankful in ALL things because God is in control and works out all things in the end.
Sorry for the book – it just sort of fired me up!
Thanks again Lindsay!!!
Thank full that I’m living exactly the life I want to be; the perfect mix of family, friendship, creativity and movement!
Just found your blog and this post, my gosh, it’s amazing.
All of us have so much to be thankful for, it’s such a shame how the trivialities of everyday life drag us down and make us forget about that. Today I am thankful for the amazing study opportunities I have, the love of my family, some seriously amazing friends and the gorgeous city I get to live in.
I try to practice being thankful, but it can be hard when I’m stressed, sad or exhausted. Of course, those are the times when I need to remember to be thankful the most!
This was a great post to read-made me slow down on a busy day before a holiday weekend and really appreciate everything in my life.
It’s funny how much of a better mood you’re in when you remember to be thankful. Sometimes when I’m feeling sour and blue, thinking about how much better I have it than lots of others out there puts things into perspective.
Thankfulness – it’s such something we CULTIVATE, isn’t it? It takes practice in a fast-paced world of instant gratification, but I suppose I try to practice it by beginning prayers (especially requests) with thanking God for things from that day or things I’m life for which I’m thankful. There is ALWAYS something to be thankful for, even on those down days (we had some of those this week), isn’t there? Thanks for sharing this post. Thankful today’s Friday and for planned moments of connecting with people (community!) this weekend. :) And…for…YOU! :D
oh my goodness, i would be kissing and squeezing clara’s cheeks constantly… what a cutie. i can’t say it enough.
i’m thankful for my family and husband. they lift me up, support me, and love me no matter what.
Beautiful post Linds! I am so thankful that you sent me the book Beautiful Outlaw! It has opened my eyes to this whole new world that I am stumbling through and learning about, but it’s awesome :).
today I am so so very very thankful G-d has put me in the position of working for myself and from home so I can be there for my sister and her family.
Thankful for all the positive energy that surrounds me! :)
love this post! It’s so easy to forget all our blessings living in America. I saw a photo on in touch ministries FB wall yesterday of a family in their grass hut in uganda…and I felt so ashamed for being so greedy and not being content and thankful where I am. Thanks for the reminder!
I’m also really thankful for the opportunities that blogging has given me- and the friends that I have made from it! It’s kind of amazing, really!
I’m thankful for fitmixer bootcamp. I’m thankful for you and Janetha and Katie organizing BLEND.
I’m thankful that I only have 2 more weeks left of the school year, and that my amazing husband is 100% supportive of some major life changes coming up, so that I can finally be happy in my career and pursue my passion- and do what I LOVE.
And I’m thankful for Saturday mornings. I get to sleep in. :)
So I woke up this morning cranky and grumpy and am sitting here having breakfast reading blogs. So glad that I opened up yours because I needed to hear and read this this morning. You are so right – so much to be thankful and grateful for. Clearly, I don’t practice thankfulness enough although I am trying to be more intentional about that. So, in this moment, I’m thankful for you Lindsay and your words.
I’m reading Crazy Love as part of a blogger Bible study right now, and he talks in Chapter 2 about rejoicing in the Lord always. He says “But then there’s that perplexing command: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!’ (Phil 4:4). You’ll notice that it doesn’t end with ‘… unless you’re doing something extremely important.’ No, it’s a command for all of us, and it follows with the charge, ‘Do not be anxious about anything.’ (v.6).”
After reading that, I have been trying to make a much more conscious effort to take the time to look around at God’s splendor this week. And to praise Him for who He is and what He’s done in my life!! :)
I am thankful for my health, and for a wonderful network of family and friends scattered across the country. No matter where I go, there are people whom I love – and who love me! Great post this morning, just what I needed
I was thinking about how thankful I am while walking to work today… the sun was rising, it’s a beautiful, 70 degree morning in Pittsburgh, and I’m lucky to have an amazing family, husband, friends, and a job that I enjoy. A great state of mind to start the weekend. :)
Today I’m reflecting on and being thankful for my beautiful baby girl – who’s now almost 2 and much more like a toddler than a baby!! It was a long road for us, over 3 years, to finally get preggo…and I couldn’t be more thankful for my little miracle :) Thanks for all the great reminders in the post. Every good and perfect gift comes from Above!!