It has been about one year since I uploaded my first post on Instagram @overflowingwithgrace, which was the beginning of this blog. At the time, I was filled with so much excitement and fueled by a deep desire to use the experiences I have been through to uplift others. But when I officially launched the blog in March 2018, I was stuck in a rut. With the support of friends (thanks Sherry, Penny and Jean!) and a road trip to inspire creativity, I pushed through and started the blog. Since then, I have learned a lot about gratitude especially in seasons of uncertainty.

I’ve learned that the enemy of gratitude is expectation without flexibility. It’s impossible to go through life needing everything to be a certain way and people to behave the way we think they should. We are but one person in this big ol’ world and we just simply aren’t in control all the time. Forcing everything to fall in line with our standards and beating up ourselves when that inevitably fails… is fruitless and tiresome. I am grateful that this season has taught me to let things be what they are and adapt to situations as they arise.

I’ve also learned that gratitude helps us strive less and accept ourselves even in the midst of disappointment. I am grateful for the freedom I experienced this past year to be in a difficult season of waiting and frustration without feeling judged in my relationship with God. I actually felt like my soul could rest and breathe easy while I questioned my circumstances. I didn’t force myself to snap out of it or simply have greater faith. I sat in my limitations and the reality of the reasons for my frustrations, and felt okay with that.

Being honest with how I felt and where I was in my life was refreshing. Without the pressure of having all the answers, I could go to God in prayer with greater transparency. I am grateful for a season where God taught my heart to rest and learn to let Him take the reins on my life.

Looking back at this past year, I am filled with gratitude for seasons. For I have learned that seasons that look like the wilderness often prepare us to fully receive and experience what has already been prepared for us in the seasons to come. As I enter the new seasons in my life, I have so much gratitude that there is purpose in the waiting, in the frustration, and in the uncertainty.