My family and I took a day off to adventure and go paddleboarding. It took forever to get there. The AC stopped working in my van. We couldn’t find parking. The paddleboard pump broke. So by the time we were ready to have family fun, I was ready to explode on everyone. I was miserable. Now, everything I just complained about is the problem of a blessed person. I have a car, paddleboards, kids, and I’m at a safe state park. I was frustrated because I was trying to manage my blessings.
So often that’s exactly what frustrates us. We have to get the kids to school, make their lunches, run off to work, do our laundry. Stop! Think! You have kids, food, a job, clothes. All blessings! But if you don’t get intentional about counting them as blessings, you’ll get miserable and cranky.
I get it. Life can be tough, responsibilities can pile up, and sometimes things just don’t go how we want them too. But in these moments, we need to pause, take stock of what’s actually going on and give thanks for the good. Then we can have perspective and joy, even in the midst of the chaos.