40 days Gratitude Challenge

Hi friends! I've decided to dust off the blog and put it to good use. I'm so glad you're joining me in this gratitude challenge!

Our first day is tomorrow! Are you ready? I am! I'm praying that this will be such a life changing time in our lives. I think the Lord will move and stir up our hearts and we will be drawn to Him and see His workmanship in all things. 

We finished up our last day of school Thursday and had a celebratory day Friday. I feel like I have a weight lifted off of me and I'm free to spend time doing the stuff around my home I've fallen behind on, but what I'm most excited about is not having to rush through my time with God in the mornings. 

This challenge is something I really need right now. This last year has been hard for me, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. So taking 40 days to focus on me and my relationship with Jesus, and not having to feel that #momguilt will be ah-mazing! Well, let's be honest, I'll still feel that #momguilt, but maybe not as bad. Ha! 

I want you all to know that this challenge doesn't have to be profound. The things you write down everyday don't have to be these glorious huge things. They can simply just be gifts that you're thankful for. 

•Lord, thank you for the amazing dinner we had, and the ability to prepare it for my family. 

•Lord, thank you for a messy home, because there are children here, children you blessed me with. 

•Lord, thank you for the laughter that fills my home. 

•Lord, thank you for the birds chirping, because they make me think of you. 

Those are just a few. I'm quite sure that I'll see some things repeated in my book, and that's totally fine! That just means I'm really grateful for those things! 

Don't fret about things to write down. The Lord will lay them on your heart. I'm very excited to just be still and listen. 

I think we'll all be amazed at how quickly our notebooks fill up! 

You can leave a comment here or on my Instagram page and use the hashtag #summergratitudechallenge. I'm very excited to follow along in this journey with you! 

Instagram @erica.gorham

Periscope @ericagorham

See you there, friends, and have fun!

Thank You

 

This was me this morning during worship at church. The tears were running down my face. I was wiping them away with my eyes closed, trying to hide them. 

The baby reaches up and lays a big fat wet kiss on my lips. My eyes open and I smile. I know she wants her pacifier so I reach for it and I give it to her. Then she wants her blankie so she can lay her head down on my shoulder. Once she's settled, I close my eyes and raise my hand to finish worshipping. 

Someone lays their hand on my shoulder and starts speaking life into my ear. She says she seen God through me as I received my kiss and tended to the baby. Giving her just what she needed without her even needing to ask.  Isn't that what God does for us too?

I'm not even sure of everything else she said because the tears just poured out of my eyes. She said "you are doing a great job, you are so beautiful."

I think she was wrong, I seen God through her words. What amazing encouragement for a mama who is just going through the motions. God used her to speak to me.

I want people to see God through me. I don't want to just be another person who is just lukewarm. I want to be on fire. I've spent many years being lukewarm. That's over. God has grabbed ahold of me, and I've let Him. That was a real struggle for me. 

That part of me is over. I find comfort in knowing that I am so far from where I used to be. Those other people who are on fire for God, the ones I want to be like, they had to get there. They didn't just start there. And neither did I. 

So as the tears were flowing during worship and my hand was raised and my eyes were closed, all I could do was say, "Thank You God for not giving up on me." He loves me, and I know that. 

I leave you with the words of a song that has completely impacted me the last week and a half, since I first heard the song. 

A Little Closer by Group 1 Crew

 Play sample

IF YOU OPENED MY HEART
YOU'D SEE I DON'T HAVE IT ALL TOGETHER
IF YOU TOOK ME APART
YOU'D SEE THE WORST OF ME WANTS TO GET BETTER
BUT YOU'RE CHANGING ME, PIECE BY PIECE
INTO WHO YOU'RE REALLY CALLIN ME TO BE

CHORUS
THERE'S A BEAUTY AND BEAST INSIDE OF ME
WHO I AM FIGHTING WHO I WANNA BE
BUT THROUGH THE RISE AND FALLS
THE ROLLER COASTER 
I, I, I GET A LITTLE CLOSER
LIKE A CHILD WALKING IN THEIR FATHER'S SHOES
I JUST WANNA LOOK A LITTLE MORE LIKE YOU
EVERYDAY'S ANOTHER STEP FORWARD
I, I GET A LITTLE CLOSER

I, I GET A LITTLE CLOSER (X2) 

LORD, I KNOW THAT IT'S TRUE
YOU'RE GONNA FINISH THIS WORK YOU STARTED
EVEN WHEN I DON'T KNOW AND IT'S MOVING SO SLOW
EVEN WHEN I FEEL NOTHING BUT BROKEN HEARTED
BUT YOU'RE CHANGING ME, PIECE BY PIECE
INTO WHO I KNOW THAT I AM GONNA TO BE 

CHORUS

I, I GET A LITTLE CLOSER (X4) 

ALL MY DAYS
EVERY BREATH I TAKE
WON'T YOU MAKE ME, SHAPE ME, INTO WHO YOU ARE

CHORUS

I, I GET A LITTLE CLOSER (X8) 


Writer(s) MANWELL REYES / JUSTIN EBACH / JEFF PARDO