by Alyssa Marie Birchfield
I started my first “blog” when I was about 14 years old.
I wrote about my life, the fact that I thought I knew everything, and posted pictures of kittens and everything emo. (Yeah, I was one of those middle schoolers.)
Nobody read it – with the exception of maybe my mom and best friend – and I was okay with that. I loved to write, even then, and just wanted an outlet to voice my immature, whiny, teenage thoughts. And I was perfectly content with only posting when I felt like it, having a horrid layout, and no audience.
Fast-forward to now – I’m entering my early twenties, newly married, working a real job, paying real bills – I’m an adult. I want to have children and grow our family, I dream of traveling the world, I aspire to have a thriving career, I have dreams of writing a book someday.
Despite these dreams, quite honestly, sometimes I’m frustrated and discontent with my life. I wonder why things aren’t going according to plan, why God would lead me down a particular path, why I can’t have the life that I want now.
And I think that if we’re honest with ourselves, we would all admit to feeling the same way.
When I think about why I started blogging when I was a teenager, it’s vastly different than my perspective today. Like I said, all I wanted was a place to get out what was going on in my head, a place to write it all down. I didn’t care about who read it, how many people read it, or if it ever took me anywhere – I just wanted to write. Plain and simple.
As a Type-A personality, and someone who frets and worries over every little thing, it’s no wonder that I obsess over making sure every small detail in perfectly in just about every corner of my life – including doing what I love.
Instead of resting in the contentment of simply getting to do what I love, it’s often tempting to instead be frustrated and ungrateful.
But when I step back and look at what I get to do, that I have a place to come as I am, and write what’s going on in my head, write what inspires me, write on anything my heart so desires, it helps make everything a little less frustrating and little more clear.
Being thankful is an art. It takes time, blood, sweat, and tears. It takes guarding your heart, watching your thoughts, and remembering to be thankful. It’s hard, yes – but it’s so beautiful when we finally get there.
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” // 1 Thessalonians 5:18
What is one thing you can be thankful for today?
Alyssa is a follower of Christ, newly-wed wife to Craig, cat momma to Chai, Ginger, and Bella, and an aspiring author. She is a lover of design, words, coffee, and the color coral. You can find Alyssa writing over at her blog, Lyss & Loveliness. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus!
