words by coco

Does anyone else just *have* to have their blinds or curtains open in their room or house? I know for me it is an absolute must. If I have the opportunity to let natural light in, I am going to. There’s just something so peaceful and serene about having natural light light up our home, rather than just relying on the fluorescent lights. I know there are many of you reading this that can completely relate.

I actually have like a routine of opening the blinds. I always open them in our bedroom before I make the bed. I always open the ones in the kitchen as the coffee is brewing. And, probably my most favorite time to open them is when I sit at my desk chair to spend time with the Lord, because right outside the windows of my office is a gorgeous view of the sunrise coming up behind the Tennessee hills.

However, this morning was different. This morning I woke up from a terrible dream. I’m talking one of those dreams that came straight from hell. And although I rebuked the enemy after I woke up, I still was in such a bad mood as I began my day. As I sat down at my desk, I hated the world so much that I kept my blinds closed because I didn’t even want to see it. So yeah… pretty moody.

But then I began my sort of routine process of spending time with the Lord. It really isn’t some set-in-stone schedule I follow, I just have certain things I always do. I always start by praying and inviting the Holy Spirit into this space and time with me, and I always follow that with writing down one thing I’m grateful for. And I know this may sound so incredibly cheesy, but as soon as I began to think of what to be grateful for, my mood completely changed. And do you know what I did? I bet you can guess. Without even thinking about it, my hand drifted towards the string to open my blinds. That’s when I felt it! I literally paused before opening the blinds because I sincerely felt like a different person than just seconds ago.

I mean, to be honest, it freaked me out! How did I just go from being this human version of Grumpy Cat to having this fresh grace and peace and longing to look at the mountains outside (which just happen to be snow-covered!)? It was gratitude, guys! I know this may be an over-hyped topic, but it is for a reason. I realized this morning that just as love is extremely powerful, so is gratitude.

So listen, for those of you who don’t already make gratitude a daily activity, I absolutely urge you to begin! If having a devoted gratitude journal is your thing then by all means go to your local TJ Maxx or Target and buy a super cute journal just for this. But you don’t even have to do that! You can do what I do and just write it down in your regular “quiet time” journal that you use when you study your Bible or you could simply just think about something that you are grateful for that day.

All that matters is that you begin your day feeling grateful. Because if you do that, you are setting yourself up for a good day. I would almost say that the way coffee is like this warm hug to your physical body in the mornings, gratitude is a warm hug to your soul in the mornings. It enlivens you. It brings you such joy and peace.

So what is our takeaway? The recipe for the most perfect start to your day is coffee in your hand, and gratitude in your heart.

Be blessed, friends.

And be grateful.

-CS

PS: Should I come out with a coffee mug that says “coffee & gratitude” on it and put it on an Etsy shop for you guys? I’m such a sucker for those type of things. Let me know in the comments if that’s something you would enjoy. I will update this post with a link here if and when those are released!