Seeing through the lens of gratitude

Afternoons have always been my favorite time of day. It allows me to see the vivid colors of the sky, the clouds, and the trees around me. Lately, I've been so stressed about the things I need to do that I never get the chance to go out of my room and enjoy those afternoons. I'm just preoccupied by my responsibilities. I'm just sitting in front of the screen all day.

I've been contemplating about why is this happening and I've realized that I have become too fixated on on doing what needs to be done that I didn't have the time to appreciate and be thankful for the things around me. I've realize that being grateful can make my day better because gratitude allows us to see the beauty hidden behind the worries of this world. Having the posture of gratitude will allows us to see the things we usually overlook.

Consider the lilies

There is a verse in the new testament where Jesus urges us to consider the lilies. To look at how they grow. To appreciate their beauty. The lilies might be a little thing, but it can teach us a lot about gratitude and the profoundness of God's love for us.

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither labor nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. Luke 12:27

Taking our time to pause and consider the lilies will allow you to see the work of God in us. Each moment of the day, you are worried and preoccupied by the responsibilities you have. Jesus is urging you to consider the lilies, look at the ephemeral beauty to learn something eternal. Though we live in a fleeting world, taking our time to pause and look at something that won't last is still meaningful. It will allow us to realize that we should never push ourselves beyond our capacity to attain an unreachable standard of beauty.

Having the posture of gratitude

Being thankful for the little things can go a long way. Often times we just focus on the big things happening in our lives but all those big things are just the product of you doing the little things in life.

If you start your day being thankful for waking up in the morning, thankful for having a delicious beverage, and thankful for birds chirping and the wind blowing the leaves of the trees. I assure you, you will have a better day than just going through it without being grateful. Those little things can make up your day and having the posture of gratitude will allow you to clearly see the things you could be thankful for, no matter how small.

Appreciate the people around you

Often times, I struggle to put into words how thankful I am for people around me. I just say "Thank you" and that's it but I realize that even my simple thank you can go a long way. Even though I have a lot more to learn when it comes to expressing my gratitude to other people, I urge you to say to your friends how grateful you are for their lives. That one little nudge, or pat on the back can mean so much to them in this trying times.

Being grateful is one of the easiest thing we can do to make our lives and the people around us better but it is often overlooked. Be grateful for just one thing everyday, and you would see the beauty in this worried filled world.