Through the Lens of A Camera

Though the fig tree does not bud 

and there are no grapes on the vines,

though the olive crop fails 

and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen 

and no cattle in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the Lord, 

I will be joyful in God my Savior. 

--Habakkuk 3:17-18

Gratitude is partly just watching for the gifts around us. It's a focusing on what is positive, rather than what is negative. Ann Voskamp started me on the gratitude journey, and she described it once as looking through the lens of a camera--framing just what you want to see.

In the picture above, taken by our daughter, there is much that is missing from the picture. We see only feet, legs, corn and dirt. But it's a striking photo, partly because of what is left out. It matters what you focus on. I want to focus on the positive. Not because I'm wired that way, but because I'm not. And because when you focus on the negative, it's a spiral.

Today, I am thankful for our corn and bean harvests. The corn looked good when the above photo was taken. But there were 6-8 weeks this summer when we walked around with a sick feeling in the pit of our stomachs. No rain. We were pretty sure that the fields would produce no food. It was tough to trust. Tough to say what the prophet Habakkuk said--yet I will rejoice... Eventually it rained, and God blessed us with a harvest that we couldn't have imagined.

I am also thankful for my faithful husband, whose feet you see in the photo above. Steady like a rock.

And I am grateful for a good night's sleep. (We can be thankful for little things, too!)

Feel free to add your own items in the comment section below. I loved yesterday's lists!