Gratitude…
Something that we all know we should do, and probably have more of. But do we really know why? Have we discovered all the ways in which is truly helps us? Gratitude has benefits on a physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual level.
It’s also easier said than done!
I won’t waste our time trying to remember who said it, but we’ve all probably seen or heard the phrase “gratitude turns what we have into enough.” I really appreciate this idea from a perspective point of view. I’ve never been a “just think positive” type of girl, in fact people who say that usual irritate me (also because it’s typically said when the last thing we want to do is think of anything positive).
There is however, a lot to be said about how our perspective impacts our attitude, actions, and therefore life.
Think about this. When you wake up; do you tend to think about the things you HAVE to do? Or the things you GET to do?
See what we did there?
All we changed is one word, yet if you have the lens of what do I GET to do suddenly you’re looking forward to the people you get to see or work with, the opportunities you’ve been given, what you’ve worked hard for, etc. that perspective shift is born out of a heart of gratitude for the life we have.
How does all this fit into recovery, you ask?
Great question. If you are utilizing any type of addiction recovery resources, likely you’ve explored your patterns of what makes you most vulnerable to turn to your vice. And if I had to guess, I’d say it’s most likely those situations or emotions that seem out of our control and uncomfortable. During those times we tend to develop a negative lens on life, focusing on what we don’t have, or what’s going wrong, or who isn’t in our life, etc.
What if we allowed that lens to change?
What if we instead challenged ourselves to think about how far we’ve come?
What God has helped us overcome?
What people we’ve met and can lean into?
What resources we’ve been presented with?
You get the point.
Gratitude can be a huge momentum shift in one’s recovery.
Because it takes us in those moments when we say I need something more, I need something else, and it says nope. What and who you have is enough, you will get through this. Gratitude moves us from a place of filling voids with instant gratification, to contentment in what and where God has us. Jesus Himself said that if we have Him, we have everything we need.
Let gratitude be your lens for recovery, rather than the voids and gaps that you turn to your vice of choice for.