All of us, at least once a year, are typically forced to stop and think or name what we are thankful for – typically around Thanksgiving. Recently, I have been realizing how incredibly powerful thankfulness + gratitude can be on an every day basis though. Obviously there are countless scriptures about “giving thanks” though…and how often are we actually doing that?
If you follow me on instagram stories, you might know I’ve had some health issues / scares recently. I’m being evaluated by my PCP and specialists and we’re hoping to have answers soon and also hoping it’s nothing serious! But regardless, these health scares have honestly given me a whole new perspective on life – and the things I tend to stress about every day. Over the last week or so, I have felt overwhelmingly thankful for my family, specifically Michael and Shiloh. I’ve noticed as I have forced myself to stop and thank God for how richly he has blessed my life…my stress level has significantly decreased. Suddenly, the things that seem like such a huge deal or that drive me crazy kind of decrease in importance.
I have seen such a huge change in so many different areas of my life during seasons where I’m very intentional about practicing gratitude. First, as I mentioned above, I notice my stress level goes way down because gratitude reminds me of what is truly important in life. Practicing gratitude and thankfulness also helps you battle an entitled mentality (ie: “I deserve to get this raise, I deserve to get this job, I deserve ____”). When you live everyday with a thankful heart, you come to understand that every single thing we have is a gift from God because He is good. Not because we’ve earned it or we deserve it. The house we live in, the fact that we woke up this morning, our children, the job we have, the car we drive…we are not entitled to any of this. They are amazing blessings from God and we have so much to be thankful for. I could go on and on about the changes I’ve seen in my life when I’m really conscious about practicing giving thanks! But to sum it up best, I think that giving thanks brings life.
I’m learning that having a thankful heart is something you have to work at and something you have to practice. I don’t think there’s one single person in this world who is just naturally a “thankful person” all of the time. So, I want to challenge each of you to practice thankfulness over the next week and be super conscious about it! If you’ve had a really amazing day or have something to celebrate – celebrate that! Maybe journal how thankful you feel or just tell God in your prayers how thankful you are, and be specific about it! If you’ve had a terrible day at work…force yourself to name at least 3 things in your life you’re thankful for. If you’re feeling really stressed out, allow yourself to pause and take a deep breath and list or count out 3 things in your life you have to be thankful for. I promise you, you will begin to see the fruit from this discipline in your life. It’s been pretty amazing for me even over these last few days!
I shot this look in St. John last week which is when all of these thoughts about thankfulness first started brewing around in my head! It was such a beautiful trip we got to take with my sister and her husband, and Shiloh too of course! I brought these Kendra Scott earrings with me on the trip and loved how delicate they looked but also paired so well with almost every outfit! Her new summer collection is AMAZING. The colors are gorgeous and I feel like each piece is so unique! I rounded up my favorite pieces from the summer collection below!:
Outfit details: Eyelet Top | Denim Shorts | Espadrilles | Hoop Earrings | Bracelet | Statement Ring | Wooden Arch Bag | Sunnies
Thanks for reading friends! Let me know if you find yourself being more conscious about thankfulness over the next week and the changes it’s making in your own life. I’ve been blown away by how powerful thankfulness can be and I think you will be too!
This post was created in collaboration with Kendra Scott. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own!
xo Lauren
