July 19, 2012
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Thanksgiving — It IS a Choice!
I have been in a funk lately.
I know that this is not the first time I have blogged about this, but I think that when you are normally a cheerful and optimistic person like I am, being in a funk feels kind of unsettling.
I told Jeremy that I “just don’t feel like myself.”
He helped out a lot by asking me “So, who DO you feel like?” Ha, ha.
Sometimes I think I am a tough chick who can kind of deal with the stresses of life and can work through things that are bothering me in a healthy way, but then it seems like eventually my body catches up with whatever is going on in my mind and I find myself just feeling “blah” and drained.
Jeremy and I were talking about this the other night and I asked him what he thinks the secret is to getting out of a funk.
He said that for himself, he needs to slow down enough to consciously count his blessings and be intentional in being thankful.
I thought that was really good advice.
The next day I wrote this in my journal…
“I have been in a funk lately and I am not sure why. I feel like my life is one huge cycle of cooking and cleaning and breaking up fights, etc. I feel like I have lost the joy somewhere along the way and I am not exactly sure how to get it back. What is the secret? Thankfulness? But how do you let thankfulness really sink into your soul and adjust your attitude?”
I think that last question is the million dollar question, at least for me.
I decided to keep a list, just for that day, of things that I can choose to be thankful for.
Without any serious brain wracking, I came up with a list of 40 things that I could be thankful for…just on that day.
I prayed about it. I felt my soul being able to breathe a little more. I felt a tiny bit of hope and like my life was more delight than drudgery. But it didn’t really take away the over-all feeling that I have been experiencing for the past 2 weeks.
I try to remember that “Eucharisteo always precedes the miracle” (something that I have learned by way of Ann Voskamp’s “1000 Gifts” book). This has proven to be true in my life again and again.
Choosing to be thankful (and it IS a choice) brings about change. More often than not, the change is internal, not external.
I just realized (as I was writing this post) that after I had been intentional and done this list the other day and prayed about the funk I have been in…
…yesterday I got some clarity (through a series of events) as to why I have been feeling this way. And that is huge for me.
It doesn’t solve the issue(s) I am dealing with, but at least I can put a finger on what it is that is draining me and making me feel in a funk and I can proceed from there…with more prayers and more thanksgiving and with talking it through.
Just when I was thinking that God was kind of leaving me hanging and not helping me to figure out what was going on in my heart…He reveals Himself in a way that I didn’t expect.
When will I learn to quit looking for God to show Himself within the box that I expected to see Him in and start asking Him to just open my eyes to see Him in whatever way He chooses to reveal Himself??
I feel better today.
He never promised that life would be easy…He only promised that He would give us strength for the day and grace to make it through.
And that is ALWAYS enough.
Comments (8)
“When will I learn to quit looking for God to show Himself within the box that I expected to see Him in and start asking Him to just open my eyes to see Him in whatever way He chooses to reveal Himself??”Love that. Love that you shared this Audrey. I get in funks too, and I’m sort of in one right now also. I do believe it’s a normal part of life, but that doesn’t really help me when I’m IN it, ha. I’m glad to know I’m not alone in my funkiness. That is a huge help for me, personally.
I think you must have been posting about the same time that I was this morning. Wish I’d have read this before I hit “Save changes”.
Thankfulness is SO huge. How can I forget it so, so easily? I just love these good words and maybe I need to make a list and be intentional about thanksgiving again. I try to practice gratefulness and seeing beauty, but I’m like a 1st grader forgetting my math facts. Tomorrow is another chance.By the way, I love all the instagram photos you’ve been posting. Wisconsin has so many beautiful flowers! Blessings to you as you crawl out of your funk. I will join you.
Loved this! Once I identify what it is that’s bothering me, it is so much easier to deal with.He shows up in the most unexpected ways! I am still learning and relearning this!
So now I’m sitting here crying. I am in a very, very, very bad funk. I think I need to start two lists. One for things I am thankful for and one for things that are beautiful. Thanks for the reminder.
Life is so full of funkiness, bad and good. And, of course, God can take you in your funk and do amazing things anyway, as you have seen. When I was in a deep funkish la-la land, I knew I had to either get out of the house and HELP someone else, or I had to stay in my box and find every reason to be thankful for where I was and why, while mentally picturing that God canNOT be stuck in my box!. I posted “Grateful for” things on Facebook. Also, God showed me that people around me were in a worse spot than I was and they were not wallowing in funkville and negativity. It happened again yesterday. I ended up running to the ER to sit with a fairly new friend and in spite of the situation, she was the sweetest, kindest person! My attitude adjusted pretty quickly and my spirit filled with the gladness that was there all along, but I’d smothered it with my selfishness. You are blessed with a hubby who was able to give you smart advice. Invisible hugs to you now!
This was one of those at-the-right-time posts for me. I came back from a weekend in CO where I had been photographing a wedding. It was a weekend that I wouldn’t want to repeat because of stress and mistakes. I felt so bad for the way some things went, and was having a hard time getting over feeling like a failure. I read this post and decided to start a list of all the things that did go well and things I was thankful for. My attitude was completely changed afterward. I have resisted the list thing because it was one of those things that fell into the “form” kind of thing I tend to resist. But…yes, gratitude IS a choice, and I need to be reminded to make it at times. Thanks.
Audrey this is a “meeting-me-right-were-I-am” kind of post! What you said about being a tough chick who can usually just deal with life… that’s so me! But it is catching up with me and instead of plunging myself in thankfulness I am wallowing in negativity (and eating junk food). I think I’m going to follow your example and make myself a list…