Here’s another excerpt from my book, “The Beauty of 40: Unwrapping the Gift of Midlife” in our next few blog posts. Do enjoy these snippets from my midlife musings, and give some time to reflect on your journey as well. We would love to hear about your thoughts and experiences.
“All that we have — work, family, and everything else — they are purely grace. Grace are things we do not really deserve but given to us. This season, I personally give back the credit to God knowing He still grants me all these and more. Our life is really about responding to His grace and love, as we accomplish the purpose He has for us. All these are grace, and humbly recognizing God’s grace is a key to being grateful for this season in our lives.”
The importance of gratitude is something that quite a lot of us have forgotten, it seems. It is easy to get drunk on success. It is easy to think ourselves better than others. It is easy to believe ourselves invincible.
It is not surprising then that when things don’t go our way, we lash out in anger. We become frustrated by failure, sometimes blaming every other person but ourselves.
The truth is we really don’t have control. No matter how much planning we pour into a project, no matter how effort we give to a passion, there will always be other factors that we cannot control. We are, after all, here on this earth by the grace of God. If we dare assume that we are masters of the universe then we might find ourselves in a situation proving it otherwise.
Life is fragile. It is fleeting. Our circumstance, no matter how pleasant or favorable or absolutely fantastic, can change in a mere moment. Gratitude is key. There is grace in being humble in victory and being courteous in defeat.
Life is a gift. It is meant to be unwrapped in all its glory and shared in all its beauty. Only when we approach life with gratitude and grace will we attain happiness and peace.
“The Beauty of 40: Unwrapping the Gift of Midlife” is available at https://shop.kerygmabooks.com/.