I went to a church service a few weeks ago and in the service, the pastor told a story about his mother. He explained that his mother was poor and that his father lived down the street and lived a decent life. Although his mother had gone through a lot and had to raise kids as a single parent she made a mission to keep them in church and show them how to appreciate the little things in life. He observed his mother praying at night and how she took the time to thank God for the cup of milk that allowed her to make biscuits for her family, how she would thank God that she had enough to pay the light bill so that her children would not be in the dark, or how should would thank God for having children that loved to be in church. After hearing that story, I have noticed that my prayers at night have gotten longer and longer because I have so much to be thankful for. In today’s time, it is easy to get caught up in what you don’t have. What you see others doing on social media. How much more you want. But I have been making a more conscious effort to take a moment and thank God for the things that I do have because there are so many people who wish they could trade places with me.
This past weekend I was able to really sit back and think about the many blessings that I have. I have friends that are truly in my corner supporting me with every endeavor that I take. I love that I have friends that are getting married, getting promotions at work, having healthy relationships, and getting these businesses and creative ideas off the ground. When I think about where I was a few years ago, dealing with friends and their issues – I am so happy that I am surrounded by people who are looking to elevate the group and not bring anyone down.
My family is a true testament to being blessed and how I appreciate the little things. My brother was able to go on a car lot and purchase a car that was safe and reliable for his family. The growth that I have seen with him within the past two years has been amazing. Seeing him adjust his mindset and truly think like a grown man has been a blessing and something that I wish my grandmother was around to witness. My Aunt has truly been a rock in my life since the passing of my grandmother. The connection and conversations that we have are priceless. I used to turn to my grandmother for relationship advice, home remedies, guidance on big purchases, and just normal conversations that a woman would have with her mother – I now am able to have those same conversations with her. I don’t think she truly understands how our on the drive home talks really have made the world of difference and I am blessed to have it.
From my most recent raise (praise Jesus) to seeing my family win, and having great friends around me, I have been able to sit back and thank God for the things that he provided me. It is so easy to think about the things that I want to have, to think about the how I am not where I thought I would be at this age, think about how I wish I could have this or that, but I need to take a moment and thank the heavens above for the things that I do have. As people, it is nice to aspire to have more and you should have goals to get you to the next level. But we all should be like the pastor’s mom and take the time to thank God for what we have.
I thank you all for taking the time to go to my site and read this post. You could’ve been doing anything other than reading this, so I am grateful and so appreciative of that.
Love, Brown Girl
“Happiness will never come to those who don’t appreciate what they already have.” –Unknown