Bible Blog

Often, scrolling through Instagram offers a nice check-in on what my friends are up to. I sit nestled on my comfy couch, sipping coffee and smiling at all the fun the world has to offer.

Sometimes, though, when I’m having a blah day, Instagram feels like a reminder of what I don’t have. I scroll past the images of couples on exotic vacations, friends eating at that restaurant I’ve been meaning to try, advertisements for the perfect dress that also happens to cost a week’s salary, pristine houses I’ll never be able to afford.

In these moments, it feels like every photo tells me, You’re behind. You’re not doing enough. You don’t have enough. You need more.

Beauty in the Everyday

I continue to scroll, overwhelmed by all the things I’m missing out on. I feel my heart start to pound, my jaw clench, my brows furrow. Somehow, this simple act is enough to send me into a spiral of anxiety.

When I experience this FOMO (fear of missing out) feeling, I try to take a deep breath and stop whatever I’m doing at the moment. I pause, calm my mind, and begin noticing the things around me. I ask God to help me practice gratitude for the moment as I collect a mental list of all the things surrounding me, like:

• My favorite mug filled with my favorite coffee
• A cozy blanket I bought on a trip to Florida
• A beautiful song I just discovered playing in the background
• My fun, sassy roommate sitting three feet from me

My heart begins to feel full. I realize I don’t need anything else in that moment. I thank God for everything I have, and I lose my desperation for anything other than what’s before me.

Do you need to take some time to practice gratitude like this today? I encourage you to set aside some time to meditate on these verses as you ask him to bring you a renewed sense of joy for the day:

Psalm 100:4 (GNTD)

Enter the Temple gates with thanksgiving; go into its courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise him.

Colossians 3:16-17 (GNTD)

Christ's message in all its richness must live in your hearts. Teach and instruct one another with all wisdom. Sing psalms, hymns, and sacred songs; sing to God with thanksgiving in your hearts. Everything you do or say, then, should be done in the name of the Lord Jesus, as you give thanks through him to God the Father.

1 Timothy 4:4-5 (GNTD)

Everything that God has created is good; nothing is to be rejected, but everything is to be received with a prayer of thanks, because the word of God and the prayer make it acceptable to God.

Psalm 107:8-9 (GNTD)

They must thank the Lord for his constant love, for the wonderful things he did for them. He satisfies those who are thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

2 Corinthians 9:11 (GNTD)

He will always make you rich enough to be generous at all times, so that many will thank God for your gifts which they receive from us.