Good grief…one more minute stuck in traffic and I’m going to lose it! WOW!! Doesn’t that sound like many of us as we commute to and from work each day.  The traffic is backed up for miles and the only hope you have at this point is for a helicopter to hover over you, drop a ladder down and lift you up out of traffic and safely land you at your job on time.  Yeah…keep dreaming.  That will not happen in my lifetime.  I’ve always been that person just stressed, complaining, yelling and throwing hissy fits over the horrible traffic I’m quite often stuck in up until last year.  I would get myself so upset that I’d almost break down in tears.  Last year God revealed to me that complaining about the traffic wasn’t going to make it move any faster.  I may still have my moments but nothing like before. Like many things we deal with in life, our natural instinct is to complain of what we don’t have and if things don’t go our way.  We can take that one pea size negative thing that occurs and turn it into a great big boulder letting it cast a heavy weight on us.  Those negative feelings tear us down causing us to feel all sorts of emotions and not to mention anxiety and for some, more severe health issues.  This morning’s commute to the office was an hour and fifteen minutes.  I could have sat and complained but instead I popped in my Joyce Meyer CD and enjoyed her speaking about gratitude.  Such an amazing message and definitely an eye opener.  We wake up thanking God for the day, for the obvious things, our health, our safety, our family, etc.  But we should also be thankful for all the little things we overlook.  Since my attitude change  from constant complaining to gratitude about the time spent behind the wheel, I’ve noticed I’m not as stressed getting to work or home.  I no longer feel that surge of anxiety kicking in high gear.  So although I’m not a doctor of any kind I’m prescribing you with a DOSE of GRATITUDE.  Take 1 thing, big or small, you want to be thankful for. Take 1 dose of gratitude and watch how quickly your day turns around.  I’m glad my commute was exactly long enough for me to listen to the CD in its entirety.  I’ve taken my commute since last year and used that time to spend with God, in worship, praying, thanking Him for everything.  So remember, when all else fails, the sky is falling and you feel like you are slowly sinking, lift your head and thank God for the smallest of things.  A great example…I was so thankful this morning I had just enough coffee grinds left this morning for my pot of coffee.  YES!  Score for me plus, I didn’t spend the entire morning in a haze trying to figure out if I was coming or going.  So let’s be THANKFUL!

XOXO…Ileen

Psst…God Loves You

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”  1 Thessalonians 5:16-18