“I Know you have big dreams for yourself, but don’t forget to appreciate how far you’ve come already. Remember the days when you prayed for the things you have now.
-unknown
Do you remember the days when you prayed for the things you have now? What are some of the things you prayed for? And how long did you pray for those things to happen? Look at how far you’ve come. Think of all the things you went through and how each situation and experience worked together to get you exactly where you are now. Think of the passion you felt when you prayed those prayers and how you constantly visualized how each prayer would be answered. The same God who was faithful to answer your prayers then is faithful to do the same now and in the future.
It’s so easy to be consumed with the stresses, worries, fears,uncertainties of life that you forget what a gift life is and how blessed you truly are. The fact that you are actually living out some of the prayers you prayed and you experienced so many of the great things you believed for. You may not have everything you desire but don’t forget to take time to appreciate what you have and how far you’ve come.
On last week I found myself beginning to complain about some of the things in my life that weren’t quite going the way that I expected and as I reflected on my thoughts I begin to realize that I was complaining about some of the very things I prayed for. As I begin to realize this I took some time to ask God to help me to appreciate the blessings that He’s given me. As I prayed this prayer I felt like God encouraged my heart with this thought, ” You feel overwhelmed because of the limits you have placed on yourself, you have a huge capacity which is really a gift and if you would stop limiting yourself and push beyond what you think you can do you would realized that you are graced to carry what I’ve given you.” I felt God challenged me to think differently, instead of complaining about how overwhelmed I was I needed to thank God for the opportunities that He’s giving me to really use my gifting in this season. And thank Him for answering the many prayers that He’s answered.
As I begin to make this switch in my mind and begin to challenge every thought and temptation to complain with thankfulness, it gave me a new sense of peace and I begin to realize that I really can do all that He’s called me to do in this season and I really am graced for this. This made me think of how powerful thoughts are. The way you think can either be your greatest limitation or your greatest blessing. That’s why I believe continual growth mentally, spiritually, and emotionally can really play a huge part in helping us to live out the fullness of Gods purpose in our lives. I personally know that I have a huge capacity and I can do so many things but I placed limitations on myself because of the thought in my mind that, “I can’t do all of this.” The truth of what I was telling myself is that I didn’t want to do, ” all of this,” because I didn’t want top push myself beyond my comfort zone.
There are so many dreams I have in my heart and so many things I want to accomplish but in order to do those things I have to get use to being uncomfortable. Once I continue to be intentional about changing the way that I think and really appreciating Gods blessing in my and how I respond to His blessing, separate from the stress and conditions that some of them come with there is really no limits to what I can achieve. I think stress, worry, fear, etc is something everyone experiences but learning to deal with those things in a healthy way where it doesn’t lead to complaining can truly make a big difference because it doesn’t continue to produce negative emotions and thought patterns which can lead to certain unhealthy actions.
I’ve been practicing taking time to journal out my thoughts and write down the things I am thankful for and the things I am stressed out about. Once I write down things that stress me I ask myself the questions of what, why and how and think about solutions that would help me to overcome those worries. I also take time to pray and ask God to give me wisdom and strength to understand what He is trying to teach me through what I feel. It’s so easy to get overwhelmed in this season and I just want to take this time to challenge you to take time and appreciate all the prayers that God has answered in your life. Think about how blessed you really are and how far you’ve come. Think of how good God has been to bring you this far. Don’t give up on what God is doing in this season. You are graced to carry everything He has given you.
I remember the times I prayed for a husband, family, college, car, provision, friends, job, etc. Those prayers didn’t happen overnight but overtime they did. It was through the process that God taught me so much. There were times that I wanted to give up because things didn’t happen on my timeline but God encouraged my heart through those time. There were times I felt disappointed and as if I failed but even though those moments I kept believing. Don’t stop praying, God hears your prayers and in due season He will answer. He always knows what’s best and He always has something so much bigger in store for you.
Thanks for reading!
What are some of the prayers you have prayed that you are currently living? What is something you are thankful for in this season? I would love to hear from you. Comment below.
1 Corinthians 2:9 That is what the Scriptures mean when they say, “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him.”
Intentional Hope 