We all have aspects of our life we wish were better. A new kitchen, an upgraded phone, nicer car, more land. The list is endless.
I remember when we got our new-to-us van. I had waited a long time for it. We had lived the Dave Ramsey way for many years, so this was a fairly significant upgrade after driving our previous vehicles. Within 6 weeks of having it in our possession, I noticed a deep dent on its side. Initially, I was furious. I had a long moment of going on and on to Doug and the kids how we can't ever have anything "nice" because it always gets ruined!! I was in such a sour mood.
But thanks to an Eleanor mindset (a.k.a. slowing down enough that you can be intentional with your thoughts and actions), I was able to eventually set aside the anger and see the silver lining in the dent.
I stared at the deep gash in my favorite car and thought to myself,…this is good for me. How was it good exactly? The dent was going to help my character grow in humility and sacrifice. I would no longer have a car that looked perfect, and I would have to live with the eyesore. But growing in humility wasn't the best part 😉 When I allowed myself to experience this growth, I discovered new gratitude in the small things I couldn't see before.
You see, I made a promise that day to never complain about the dent again. Instead, every time it would catch my eye, I vowed to list off all the things I was thankful for. Here I am, 4 years later, still giving thanks.
People underestimate the beauty that comes with sacrifice. We always think the 'perfect or newer' is the key to happiness. Don't get me wrong, I like nice things! But allowing sacrifice in your life results in feelings of grace that money can't buy. It is then that you tap into a deeper meaning and appreciation for life and the things that really matter most in it.
I'll gladly accept a dent in my van if it helps me slow down enough to notice the sunset, a flower blooming, the giggles of my children, or a kind gesture from a person on the street.
Lara