I need a grumpy to grateful challenge.  I am in a funk.  A big funk!

Let’s see….

Reasons I’m in a Funk…

1.  Eight years ago Zine was diagnosed with Progressive Multiple Sclerosis.  October 28, 2010, will forever be a date written in my heart.  It’s the day the doctor at Mayo Health Clinic in Rochester, MN gave us the diagnosis and told us there was no treatment for this type of MS.  Each year as we approach this time, my emotions are incredibly tender.  Two years ago, I wrote about the difference MS has made.  You can read it here.
2. Despite everything we have tried, we have been unsuccessful at stopping the progression of MS.  (as predicted by the Mayo doctor)  A few weeks ago, Zine’s doctor discussed at great length with us about clinging to our faith as there were no other treatment options.
3. In light of no further treatment options, the conversations occurring between Zine and me have been extremely heavy and tender the past few weeks.  Deep, heavy topics to say the least.
4. Muscular Dystrophy seems to be progressing in my daughter.  It seems to be affecting her smooth muscles as well as her cardiac muscles.  We came face to face with MD side effects yet again this week after she had an outpatient procedure done.
5. Anxiety continues to wreak havoc in my life and my girls’ lives.
6. Grieving my mom’s one-year anniversary of her passage from this earth into the presence of her Savior.
7. My sleep cycle has been severely impacted lately.
8. It’s no secret any longer…my eating habits have been struggling as well.  Almost every person I have seen lately have asked me if I have lost weight.  Yes, I have lost weight.  Yes, I am struggling, but diligently working. Ummm, I don’t have much weight to lose I know.

I am confident that I could sit down and feel sorry for myself and have good reasons.  However, that’s not what I want.  It’s not what God wants.  My funk is not a blessing to me, my family, nor those around me.  And here’s a truth I have learned about myself.

When I’m in a funk, I am typically telling God how big my problems are instead of telling my problems how big my God is.

Sometimes, I need to take time to recalibrate my heart.  What better time to recalibrate my heart than right here as we near the Thanksgiving season?  I also like to do things with other people, so I thought,  “Why not invite others to join you in recalibrating your heart…hmmm…I think I will!”

Therefore, I have created a group on my Facebook page entitled From Grumpy to Grateful.  From November 1 thru November 15, I will be posting a prompt each day to help us focus our minds and recalibrate our hearts on our God who is more powerful than any problem we will encounter.  I think it will be a lot of fun to hear from each other the things we are grateful for each day.

One day in the middle of a panic attack, my pastor’s wife said, I need you to say three things you are thankful for.  Quickly and angrily, I assured her I would never thank God for MS.  She very kindly responded that’s okay there are other things you can thank God for.  Eventually, I was able to articulate three things I was thankful for, but I’m reasonably sure they were the lamest things ever.  They were so important that I can’t even remember what I breathlessly uttered.

I don’t want to be general in giving thanks.  I want to learn to look for the intricate ways God is involved in my life.

From Grumpy to Grateful

From Grumpy to Grateful is designed to help us look into the details of life and see God at work.  The goal is to recalibrate our hearts from grumpy to grateful as we see God working in the details of our lives.  The results of our time together–our funk replaced with peace and contentment, and our faith strengthened through these 15 days together.

[bctt tweet=”From Grumpy to Grateful–a 15-day challenge to help us look for God at work in the midst of our struggles. With recalibrated hearts, our focus can shift from how big our problems are to how big our God is. Come join From Grumpy To Grateful! https://www.facebook.com/groups/489860978178863/” username=”kksmith8694″]

Please invite your friends!

Please invite your friends to participate.  The more participants the better!!