Finding Joy and Gratitude - Trusting God

 

I have a dear friend who I worked with many years ago in our Church Women's Group. She was a young mother and had a few children and my girls were older.

Over the years working together, and being neighbors, we have gotten to know each other quite well and I worked with her boys recently in the cub scouts as well.

She recently invited me to attend a workshop she is putting on about being "Mindful" as she has read many books on self improvement and wanted to help others by putting on these classes. She started a few years ago teaching preschool in her home and then started homeschool many of her own children. Her family has doubled in size since she and I worked together.

She then started teaching children's classes and has worked her way up to teaching adult classes. I wasn't sure why she invited me to her classes but she has told me several times that she didn't get what I was trying to share about gratitude for many years, but recently when I talked about it again in church, she said it finally clicked.

Today was her fourth class, and most of the hour class was about Gratitude and Joy. Those are two things I know much about. She actually talked about me in class without mentioning who I was as she was sharing that "someone she knew" always talked about gratitude.

She then shared a story about how she was really resentful one night on Halloween evening when her 8 children and husband went to bed and hadn't helped clean up the mess. She said at first she was upset, but then thought about gratitude and at first started giving gratitude for dishes to eat off as she was cleaning them up. It went that way for awhile as she picked things up. She found after some time with it going that ways she started giving gratitude for bigger things she may have not focused on being grateful for before that day.

She said it took her about 2 hours to clean up, but by the time she finished cleaning the house, she felt JOY. She said it was hard to go to sleep because for the first time in her life she realized that there was a difference between happy and joy.

She has shared something each week that I think I have helped or influence her in since we have been friends. I have also shared some tips with her that I thought may help as she develops the classes to serve more people.

At the end of last weeks class, I was also able to share with some other neighbors some thing that I felt were worth sharing. The husband was saying that at night it is hard not to find fault in the way he did or didn't get something done, or how he did it. I asked them if it was "OK" to share something I learned from a friend many years ago.

They said I could share, and I told them that our Heavenly Father is a kind father and if we ask Him what He wants us to get done each day in the morning and then report what we got done each night, as you would a boss, HE will be thrilled that we asked His advice. Even if we don't finish everything on the list, HE is proud that you got what you got done. I asked this man if his son came to him at the end of the night and said, "Dad I got half of the list done today." would this father get angry with his child or would he be glad that the son did his best and finished half the list? The father nodded saying he would be loving to his son. I told him that God is the same way. In the past I have gotten upset saying, "I didn't get my list done" getting down on myself, but then God puts into my heart, "No, you didn't get the list done, BUT you did visit the elderly neighbor and help her put salt in her water softener and carried some heavy things for her." and I then can be gentle on myself knowing that people always matter more than "lists" or "things" by far.

My friends both seemed to take that information in stride. I sent a text to my other friend that taught me that lesson this week thanking him for sharing that with me during my divorce. His advice was a bit different in that I NEVER asked God for anything as I figured I should do everything myself and only ask for the BIG things. This friend asked me if I would help my child tie their shoes even if they knew how to do it but their hands were full? It is something they are capable of, but as a parent, I would want to help them with even that little of a thing if I thought it would help them as I wouldn't want them to trip and they had their hands full!

I thought about that. It touched me as I really love to help my children succeed in any way I can, even down to the little things like filling their gas tank etc. From that time on, I decided to give God a chance to help me even with the little things and I feel so grateful that down to parking spaces near the front door of a store, God has never failed me when I ask in faith and need.

I love how sometimes I am the receiver of great advice, and other times, I am the giver and sharer of the good advice. God loves us and judges us in HIS way so we need to stop judging ourselves and others in our way.

I hope you have a Blessed and Abundant Joy Filled Day!