Blessing is a Mindset
Every night before I go to bed, I take a few moments to list out what I’m grateful for that day. At first, the list was small and focused on the things that went my way. But the longer I’ve kept this habit, the more I’ve realized that I can be grateful even for the things that didn’t go my way.
Life isn’t always what we expect it to be, but it’s always exactly what God intends it to be.
My kids and I have been through a lot of change lately. And with change comes a choice: I can face it with an open heart or a closed one. I never know what’s waiting on the other side of a life shift, but God often shows me something good when I stay open.
One of those moments came during a conversation with my son.
My fourteen-year-old is such a good kid. His heart is solid, and I see a great deal of potential in him. But like me, he can struggle with flexibility. This year has been particularly hard for him. The home dynamic changed. Spring break turned into six months. And when things finally started to settle, my kids transitioned into a new private school to find routine again.
From the first day, I could tell he was struggling.
That night, I chose to connect with him through a short Bible study. We landed in Psalm 144, a chapter that begins with David preparing for battle and ends in gratitude and declaration. The last few verses caught my attention:
“Our sons in their youth will be like full-grown saplings,
our daughters like sculptured pillars…
our barns are full… our city walls have no breach…
How happy the people who live in such conditions!
How happy the people whose God is Adonai!”
I used this moment to show him how powerful it is to speak life over our situation. We can either dwell on the things we don’t like or we can focus on what we want to see happen. Gratitude retrains our brains to notice what’s good, even when life feels heavy.
That night, he asked me to pray for him. Not to change the situation, but to help him have a better mindset.
That prayer was a gift to me.
Can you relate to this?
Gratitude doesn’t always start naturally. However, it grows over time, and it can change your life if you let it.
What first feels small or insignificant may turn out to be a key part of a bigger picture you haven’t seen yet. Keep your heart open. Let God show you how to find blessing in the middle of discomfort because blessing isn’t just about what you have. It’s a mindset. And it’s one you can choose every day.