There’s No Place Like Home: Gratitude in the Eye of the Storm

Written by Prophetic Voice Ebony Pittman

There’s something about the crisp air and golden hues of fall that makes us all look back for a moment. 🍂For the ’90s girls, it might mean Twitches for the sistHER vibes, Halloweentown for a touch of Disney magic, or the Sanderson Sisters giving a full Bet Midler performance.

But for me, baby, take me to the Land of Oz. 🌪️

When I was little, The Wizard of Oz was everything. The color, the music, the courage, it was mesmerizing. I could quote every line and sing every solo.

Now, with matured eyes and a wiser heart, the story hits different.

“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child;but when I became a woman, I put away childish things.”— 1 Corinthians 13:11

It’s not about losing joy, it’s about gaining discernment. It’s watching the same story, but this time, through the lens of experience. The same yellow brick road, but now with slower, stronger steps.

🌪️ Gratitude in the Eye of the Storm

Let’s be honest, life has been lifing. The atmosphere in our world feels heavy, uncertain, and unpredictable. Even if the storm hasn’t entered your home, it’s likely poured on someone close to you.

And yet, gratitude still whispers through the wind. Not the “it could be worse” kind, but the kind that looks chaos in the eye and says, “God, I still see You.”

That’s the gratitude of a grown woman. The gratitude that’s weathered a few winds and still chooses worship.

🌾 Wisdom — Seeing God’s fingerprints even in the fog.

🌾 Emotional Maturity — Holding your peace when fear wants to shout.

🌾 Courage — Standing tall in uncertainty with faith as your anchor.

Dorothy’s line, “There’s no place like home,” takes on new meaning when you realize—Home isn’t a destination. It’s a revelation. It’s the posture of a heart at rest in God’s presence.

That brings me back to the Land of Oz and gratitude as an

adult. To be grateful for life experience as you age becomes a

composite of multiple emotions at its core.

Wisdom- the quality of having experience, knowledge,

and good judgement; the quality of being wise.

I understand why the scarecrow just wanted the ability to be

wise in his perspective. As a child, you would hear elders say:

“Thank God for waking me up, and keeping me in my right mind.

It was such a small sentence then. With life experience and

wisdom, you truly take in the miracle it is for the Lord to wake you

up every day, move your organs in unison so that you can live

another day.

IN. YOUR. RIGHT. MIND.

Yes, that within itself is a gift. Life can be full of trials and

adversities, and not everyone comes on the other side of the

woes of life with power over their mind. The Holy spirit gives some

of us strength daily to walk in the battle of depression, anxiety,

and other mental battles to live another day. To truly take that in

takes is a level of mature gratitude.

Applied Empathy- the ability to understand and share the

feelings of another:

Ole tin Man, bless his heart for not having that physical heart, a shell of a man. He just wanted to manifest what it means to connect with the soul through the hearts biggest Emotion: Empathy.

Empathy is one of the surest gateways to living a grateful

life. To see life in a perspective bigger than your own walk of life,

you see just how much God has grace your life with.

Dorothy wanted to get Far away from her home of being

raised by loving grandparents, family, and friends and being

raised on a farm because of one small incident.

Hey we have all been there. I know I wasn’t the only one who

packed a ragaddy little bag with a couple toys and tell my mom: “I

am running away from home.” She look at you with calmest

confidence. “Well go ahead then.”

Sometimes minute moments make us forget just how lucky we are. For Dorothy, you can tell that her grandparents were raising her, a common sacrifice that takes place in families out of true love and protection, but she forgot the love that she had for one moment. We all have been there. If you’re honest, the moments when we forget are when we are have arrested emotional moments and the inner kids is driving that thing. It takes mature gratitude to say: I am grateful for what I have. I am being a drama queen.

We all know some children that aren’t lucky enough to have a community. As adults, sometimes we take our family, friends, and spouses for granted. We have to ask ourselves in this moment: How am I making my love one feel? Just as Dorothy came to the realization looking into the chystal ball to her Aunt.

And in that moment of clarity as so many of us have: Home is truly becomes where the Heart is.

Courage- the ability to do something that frightens one;

bravery:

I know you’re probably thinking: “How does courage grow our gratitude? And I’ll give you one word: JOB.

Our brother Job in the bible experience supreme loss: his wealth, his health, and his legacy was snatched from him in an instant. And you know what he did? In spite of all of that, he still

praised our Father as his Lord in savior. THAT takes true MATURE levels of gratitude. To love God during our down seasons whole heartedly. It is a genuine sign in believing that he is our king.

Like the Song says “If he never does anything else, he has done enough.”

Salvation is the most eternal gift that we have been given, and its something that we do not deserve, nor can we do anything to earn it. It was given to us IN SPITE OF. THAT TAKES COURAGEOUS GRATITUDE We have Christians who risk their lives even today to share that Jesus is Lord with others to save their souls, and they are met with a fate of a life cut short by greater threat.

THAT TAKES COURAGEOUS GRATITUDE

Dorothy learned true life lessons in the quest to acquire mature levels of Wisdom, Empathy, and Courage. It all brough her to awaken from a dream GRATEFUL for her loving family “and her little dog too.”

So sis I leave you with one challenge: The 5 SENSES exercicse. It is an exercise taught for people to regulate their emotions during anxious moments, but I challenge you to use it to

experience something deeper.

1. Find 5 people you love and tell them how much you love them and who they are.

2. Find 4 places that have brought you great joy in your memory, and share great stories with loved ones that were there.

3. Find 3 people you can hug that you haven’t in a while.

4. Find 2 aromas you remember smelling as a kid in the kitchen and make its recipe with your family, and or talk to your family about that dish.

5. Find 1 thing to tell God thank you for, from the bottom of your heart.

Enjoy your November lil Dorthys and embrace your Home. There is no place like it.

🙏🏽 Prayer

Father, thank You for being the home I can always return to. In the middle of storms and shifting seasons, remind me that gratitude anchors me in Your love. Strengthen my heart with wisdom, steady my emotions with peace, and fill my spirit with courage. Let every storm draw me closer to You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

🌻 Cultivation Challenge: “Follow the Peace”

This week, invite God into your everyday rhythm.

1. Pause — Sit in silence for five minutes. Breathe deeply. Acknowledge what’s been heavy—and thank Him for holding it with you.

2. Journal — Write down one area where you see His hand moving in the middle of the storm.

3. Pray — End by saying aloud: “God, You are my home—even here.”

   
   

💬 Share your reflections in our GIRLS Talk Facebook group using #GIRLSTalk #GratefulInTheStorm so we can grow together in gratitude and grace.