Thursday, November 6, 2008

Thoughts for Thursday: Power of Gratitude

"It's not the power of the curse,
it's the power we give the curse."

~ Billy, from the movie "Penelope"

This month I am trying to focus on the abundance of blessings that God has given me. We (the sisters in Relief Society -women's organization) talked in church on Sunday about how sometimes we EXPECT certain blessings from God and sometimes don't get those blessings, but we do get other blessings that He knows that we NEED.


Take a look at this amazing video about a young man named Nick Vujicic:



and then check out this one... pay special attention to 3:30 minutes....



Sometimes we may feel "cursed" because we d
on't get the blessings we EXPECT.... but I love how little Billy said at the end of the movie, "It's not the power of the curse, it's the power we give the curse." So very true!!! Basically, by giving ourselves an attitude/perspective adjustment, we can go from feeling miserable to seeing how God has TRULY blessed us.

The holiday season can really be hard on a lot of people. During this time of year the world seems to focus on the "haves" and "have nots"... often times we see so many things we don't have and want. "The grass is greener...", "If only I could....", "I'd be happy if...", "I'm not perfect enough" type of ideas... Let's do something about this.

So here is the challenge for us:

Click on the image to the left to view it larger & print it off. (Sorry, it's huge, about 1 MB.)

For the next 30 days take a moment each day to write down something that you are grateful for.
Then maybe snap a photo or write a journal entry and make a scrapbook layout or keep a photo journal of it to remind you.

It can be anything... a sharp pencil for sketching notes, a warm bath, the love of a friend/sibling/parent/spouse or significant other, the smile on a strangers face, a bed to sleep in, a favorite pair of shoes, a difficult child (because that means God entrusted you with His child), a burnt loaf of bread (because that means you have the ingredients & knowledge to bake bread), your job, etc.... Whatever you feel grateful for.

I guarantee that at the end of 30 days you will see an ABUNDANCE of blessings. You may even want to continue writing them down because as you focus on your blessings you will find more than one thing every day to write down.

Feel free to share on your blog, invite others to join us, and post what you are grateful for. So what are you waiting for??

16 comments:

Nichole W. said...

Thank you so much, Erin! My 30 days of gratitude is printing right now! I loved the video clip and will most likely steal it to post on my blog! Hope you don't mind!

Anonymous said...

What a great idea! I will do this at my house and with my kids in school! Thanks for the reminder! Have a blessed season and may we all remember that God is good! :)

kc_froglady said...

Wonderful Erin! I will join you in this challenge. I'll try to post my daily gratitude on my personal journal too so I can share it with everyone :)

Lori said...

Erin,
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful video. I felt a need to share it, so I have put a link to your blog on mine. I will be printing your challeng today. Thanks again for sharing. I needed that.
Hugs,
Lori

Karin Leveillee said...

I'm down for your challenge - I'll post it up on my blog... http://leveillee.blogsite.org/crafts

Thanks,
Misvish - aka Karin #4472

Rachele Funk said...

I'm linking you up! Thanks for an awesome post!

Jennifer McGee said...

What powerful videos and an awesome challenge! I will most definitely be participating and it should be easy - since I already know I am blessed. If you would like to follow my challenge feel free to do so at http://ktandbreesmemories.blogspot.com/

Unknown said...

Thanks Erin. Just what I needed.

Richard Chamberlain said...

Awesome! Thank you Erin, for introducing me to Nick Vujicic.

Anonymous said...

Erin, this is a wonderful idea! I don't have time right this sec to watch the video, but I will soon. However, I love your challenge of taking time to realize the blessings God bestows on us each day. I recently started a 'prayer book' and now, because of your challenge, I think I'll add a 'Book of Blessings' to my daily agenda. Thanks so much.
Barb g

Anonymous said...

I am guessing you are LDS///
Thanks for the great idea.. I missed this lesson.
Debbie

Lisa's Scrap Site said...

WOW WHAT A GREAT IDEA,SOMETIMES I GET DEPRESSED BECAUSE I'M DISABLED,BUT I'M GONNA KEEP TRACK SO I CAN PICK MYSELK UP.THANKS

Lisa's Scrap Site said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Ceal said...

WOW! what a powerful message and a wonderful Idea. I am going through some trying times right now with health issues so I will take this challenge don't know if I will get to post but I will try.

Anonymous said...

Erin, what a great idea to share and hopefully spread. Do a search on utube for a video called cardboard ministries. It really is awesome and moved me. My friend Lisa has it posted on her blog as well see her post here on October 25th. Also, I love your banner, I don't know how to do one yet but so want to learn.

Have a great day,
Tracy

Jeanne said...

Thanks for the inspiration, Erin!

Tap, tap...I've tagged you for a different kind of tag...check out my blog. Ü