Things I'm Loving Lately

 By: Lauren Thomas

Have you seen influencers post their “10 Things I’m Loving Lately”? While many influencers create these posts with the aim to sell something, others use it to show who they are or to document what they have been enjoying. One such post I saw recently wasn’t an “ad post” with “affiliate links.” Instead, it was a simple list that sounded a lot like gratitude. 

 

I was immediately inspired to start tracking and documenting 10 things from my week that I enjoyed!

 

And I struggled to think of one.

 

Yikes.

 

I’ve been busy lately. Overwhelmed. Facing lots of changes and challenges. And I’ve let negativity permeate my thoughts and speech. My inability to list a gratitude shone a spotlight on something I had felt a gentle conviction over.

 

Ironically – actually, when it’s the Lord, do we call it that? – my pastor used 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 that Sunday.

 

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray constantly, 18 give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV

 

Okay, I hear you, Lord.

 

So, this week, I’m trying to pay attention. I’m trying to rejoice in that “thing I’m loving.” I’m trying to thank God for it, even if it’s small or something brief. And I’m also trying to document it. I take a picture with my phone, or I write it down in my journal. Here’s what I’ve got for this week:

 

1. My morning walk in nature! Sun, green, solitude, exercise.
2. Sunbathing! Though it’s been a rainy week, whenever we have some sunshine, I try to sit outside in the sun for a few minutes. Being outside and soaking up the vitamin D feels so right. 
3. My progress with weight lifting. I am thankful for a healthy body that I can push to grow new muscle. I am thankful for strength.
4. Sudoku! My newest obsession. I recently learned to play, and it has been a fun way to unwind.
5. Grabbing coffee and doing a nature hike with my best friend and our kids. We were made in a garden, so it makes sense we feel closest to our Creator in nature.
6. My garden! I planted a small perennial garden this year, and just this week, some of the flowers have started to bloom. 
7. Discipling my children. We are memorizing 1 Thessalonians 5:15-18 together along with learning some Bible trivia this summer.
8. Napping in my hammock [a rare treat indeed!].
9. Reading fiction [especially in my hammock].
10. Birdwatching. Robins in the birdbath. Hummingbirds at the feeder. A goldfinch on my thistle feeder. The blue flash of a bluebird on my morning walk.

And just like that, I feel more optimistic. And I feel at peace knowing I’m in God’s will for my life when I’m living in gratitude.

 

Reflection:

Make your own list of “Things I’m Loving Lately.” Is it hard or easy to write that list? How do you feel after completing it?