Gratitude Changes How You See Things
Every morning, before I check my phone, open my email, or think about the work ahead, I thank God for another day of life.
Not because every day is easy.
Because every day is a gift.
The longer I live, the more I realize gratitude changes how you see things.
The responsibilities are still there.
The deadlines are still there.
The difficult conversations are still there.
The unexpected problems are still there.
But gratitude keeps them from becoming the only thing I see.
I've learned that perspective is often shaped before the day ever begins.
If I start my day focused only on what's wrong, it's amazing how quickly I begin finding more things to be frustrated about.
But when I begin by thanking God for another day, something changes.
Not always my circumstances.
But almost always my perspective.
I wake up every morning knowing I'm living on purpose.
I have an incredible wife.
Children I'm proud of.
Grandchildren who remind me to enjoy the little things.
A business that puts food on our table.
Great customers who have become friends.
A God who has been faithful through every season.
That shapes how I see everything else.
That doesn't mean every day is perfect.
We still have hard conversations.
We still make mistakes.
We still experience stressful seasons.
We still get stretched.
But gratitude keeps those moments from becoming my identity.
I've met people with far more than me who weren't happy.
I've met people with far less who overflowed with joy.
The difference often wasn't what they had.
It was how they saw it.
I'm not grateful because everything is going my way.
I'm grateful because I know Who is walking with me through whatever comes my way.
That gives me peace.
That gives me purpose.
That gives me hope for tomorrow.
Gratitude doesn't always change your circumstances.
It changes how you see them.
— Ruben Escalona
Red Alpha Custom Prints
What Healthy Actually Looks Like
Healthy people don't wait until life is perfect to be grateful. They choose gratitude first, and in doing so, they begin to see life through a different lens.
Because gratitude doesn't always change what's happening around us. It changes how we see what's already been placed in front of us.