Sometimes I’m scared.  I worry about what the future holds, if I’ll be able to support my kids the way that I want to, if I’ll be able to stay in my house and lots of other fears.

Sometimes I withdraw.  I have wounds that run deep and the pain comes around and I want to drop out of sight and wallow in my self-pity.  Or, I remember the things I’ve done to hurt others and think it’s better for me to not get close to anyone else lest I hurt them or let them down.

There are more of these types of traits I could explain but I get the idea already.  The point is, these are choices.  I choose to acknowledge my hurt and feel pain.  There’s nothing wrong with that because those feelings are real.  HOWEVER, I also choose to acknowledge those feelings and I choose how I will respond.  I can respond with fear, withdrawal or avoidance OR I can respond with understanding and gratefulness for what God has in store for me.

This is why I term gratefulness as a project.  It’s a work in progress, something that I sometimes fail at handling in the best way and sometimes I take the better route.  My prayer is that I will continue to take the better path more and more often and I do that by the choices I make.

Here’s a video that’s worth the 10 minutes or whatever it will take.  Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPW3EB5U0bo

Grace and peace.