Your Second Gift — JC's Village

Not gonna lie - I’ve talked to quite a few of you over the course of the year - and a lot of you got more beat up than I’d have liked. A lot of us have spent a lot of time over the last too many months getting bummed over the news, frustrated over social media, heaped on by work and family pressures. We’re carrying some heavy burdens these days.

Thanksgiving was just a week ago today - but Gratitude deserves far more than an annual holiday. Gratitude is the gift that God gave us - that gives and gives. Cultivating a spirit of gratitude not only helps us appreciate the good things in our lives but can shift our whole perspective on what God’s doing in our lives. A regular practice of allowing ourselves to see all God’s blessings in our lives - and really sitting in that gratitude, exploring it, and celebrating it - can soothe our tired and weary souls. Deep gratitude for every single good thing - puts all the imperfections in our lives (even the irksome ones) in their place.

So - I dare you - I DOUBLE DOG dare you - to not only go on a little hunt today for some more funny stuff to laugh at (there are LOADS) of sources of chuckle-worthy content AND take a few moments to think about all that’s God’s done for you and given you that is so gratitude worthy. Gratitude and humor together are like a gummy vitamin for your soul - at the very least. More than that when we embrace gratitude - it’s easier to laugh at whatever hilarity we come across. It’s also easier to relax and to build resilience. But don’t bother too much thinking about those downstream benefits to gratitude - just go ahead and enjoy all the gratitude you can step into right in this moment. The more gratitude we take time to feel - the more grateful we feel and the more it starts to feel like there’s not so much so out of place in our lives. Even Jesus paused in the midst of His short public ministry to give thanks in public and in private with just His disciples.

Who are you grateful for? What priceless gifts - such as family, opportunity, health, talents, and such has God given you that make your life what it is?