What if gratitude were more than saying “thank you”… and became a prayer that changes how you experience your whole life?

In this episode of Through the Lens of Love, I share the practice I call gratitude in advance, or GIA, and how it moved me from people pleasing to real peace. A perfect episode to start the month of thanks.

For years, I believed it was my job to keep everyone around me happy. When someone was upset, I tried harder, worked harder, and bent over backward to fix it. When that didn’t work, I reached for a snack, a drink, a distraction… anything to numb what I couldn’t fix.

I always thought of myself as a grateful person. Then I discovered how surface level my gratitude really was. Through a simple written practice, prayer, and the coaching of incredible mentors, I started living from peace instead of performance.

In this episode, you’ll hear: 💜 why you aren’t responsible for everyone else’s happiness 💙 how we use distractions to avoid uncomfortable feelings 💗 the difference between being thankful and gratitude as a form of prayer 💜 passive vs. active self care, and which one gives you energy 💙 how to see your time, energy, money, and influence as gifts from God 💗 praying from desperation vs. praying from thanks 💜 what gratitude in advance means, and how to start this week

You can’t always choose your circumstances, but you can choose the lens you see them through. How has gratitude helped you see through the lens of love?

• The journal I used for three years is the Five Minute Gratitude Journal by Sophia Godkin: Link to journal on Amazon. Check it out!

✨ Bright Friday is coming. Have you felt like your light has been dimmed lately? Join the list for a free 3-minute video to release the hardest thing from your week, plus first access to Access Your Halo on Thanksgiving Day. Only 10 spots, no obligation. 💜

👉 heleneimers.com/bright

SPONSOR:This episode is sponsored by Pink Salt Riot, a woman-owned Christian company making wearable, everyday reminders of the truth. Use code LENSOFLOVE10 at checkout for 10% off at https://pinksaltriot.com

WHERE TO FIND HELEN:

Website: https://heleneimers.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heleneimers

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helen.eimers

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@heleneimers

Courtney Thiry is my niece, a true joy to have in my life, and one of the boldest, most honest women I know. In this conversation, she gets honest about the pull from the Holy Spirit to speak up. She tells us how she recognizes the difference between God's voice and the enemy's, the fear and anxiety that tried to keep her from this very recording, and the words her grandma (and my incredible MIL) gave her at nineteen that changed how she sees avoidance. She also shares the hardest season of her life, when she was 17 and wanted to end her life, and how the Lord met her there.

This is a conversation about faith, courage, motherhood, and seeing ourselves, our children, and everyone around us through the lens of love.

A note of care: This episode includes a story about suicidal thoughts. If you are struggling, please call or text 988 (the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7) or chat at 988lifeline.org. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. You are not alone, and you are loved.

This episode is a conversation about faith and personal experience. It is not medical advice. Please talk with your doctor or a qualified professional about any medical decisions, including medications.

💜 "God does not speak negativity to you." Learning to tell the Holy Spirit's voice from the enemy's. 💙 "You can't believe in God and not believe in the devil." Grandma Jane's honest reality check. 💗 "If you avoid it, you're just gonna let it keep approaching you because you're not recognizing it." Avoidance becomes a cycle, and the cycle becomes a pattern. 💜 "Sometimes avoidance may look like comfort, but it's not." 💙 Going to the person directly (Matthew 18:15) instead of talking about them. If they listen, you've gained a brother or a sister. 💗 "Pain and hard situations were not designed by God to last forever." Her dad's words: "If you can take it, you can make it." 💜 Trusting the Lord with all your heart (Proverbs 3:5–6) when you feel confused. 💙 "Our kids don't need to be protected from the world. They need to learn how to live faithfully in it." Childlike faith, grace, and patience in parenting. 💗 "I can't not love someone else who was created by God."

Courtney Thiry (Eimers) is a wife and a mother, and she says these roles lead her to a greater purpose: living better each day, not just for herself but for the roles she has been given and is grateful for. She calls them a lifetime relationship commitment and a guide as a parent. Family and friends are her priorities, because connection makes us feel whole. As long as they’re together, they’re happy, no matter where they are. Courtney loves to see people smile and loves making people laugh and feel seen. If she could describe herself in three words, they would be optimistic, curious, and authentic.

Instagram: @simplythirycourtney

SPONSOR:This episode is sponsored by Pink Salt Riot, a woman-owned Christian company making wearable, everyday reminders of the truth. Use code LENSOFLOVE10 at checkout for 10% off at https://pinksaltriot.com

THE INVITATION OF THROUGH THE LENS OF LOVE:What if you could see yourself, your life, your relationships, the way God sees you? That's the invitation of every episode.

WHERE TO FIND HELEN:

Website: https://heleneimers.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heleneimers

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helen.eimers

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@heleneimers

KEY TAKEAWAYSABOUT COURTNEYWHERE TO FIND COURTNEY

Is it peace, or is it avoidance? For a long time I called avoidance “being nice,” “being strong,” and “keeping the peace.” I wasn’t a bad person, and I wasn’t unintelligent. I was in a season where I couldn’t see what was hurting me, and you can’t name a pattern you can’t see.

In this solo episode, I’m sharing my story and walking you through three places we can land: not seeing it yet, feeling like something is missing, or seeing it and still choosing comfort. I’ll also share a simple activation for you to try today. Wherever you are is not a condemnation. It’s an invitation to see it through the lens of love, the way God sees it.

Content note: this episode includes honest mentions of alcohol use and of suicide. If you’re in crisis or need someone to talk to, call or text 988 (U.S.) anytime. For an emergency, call 911.

KEY TAKEAWAYS 💜 Avoidance rarely looks like avoidance. It looks like being nice, being strong, and being the one who keeps the peace. 💙 “You cannot change what you do not own.” Awareness is step one. 💗 Fake peace and the Lord’s peace (John 14:27) are not the same. Real peace is on the other side of the honest conversation. 💜 It is not your responsibility to control anyone’s emotions, including your children’s. 💙 It takes energy to keep a feeling pushed down, and that energy is yours. 💗 Your activation: finish the sentence “Sometimes I avoid ___,” then say one honest, loving sentence to yourself, to God, or to someone else.

NEXT WEEK

Helen’s niece Courtney joins her to talk about faith, honesty, and the Lord’s truth spoken in love.

SPONSOR:This episode is sponsored by Pink Salt Riot, a woman-owned Christian company making wearable, everyday reminders of the truth. Use code LENSOFLOVE10 at checkout for 10% off at https://pinksaltriot.com

THE INVITATION OF THROUGH THE LENS OF LOVE:What if you could see yourself, your life, your relationships, the way God sees you? That's the invitation of every episode.

WHERE TO FIND HELEN:

Website: https://heleneimers.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heleneimers

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helen.eimers

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@heleneimers