What a wonderful day to celebrate gratitude! There’s lots to celebrate on Thanksgiving, and it’s a wonderful holiday to remind us to be thankful. What are some things for which you are grateful? What has happened over this year that has made you grateful? Are there special things that you’re thankful for on Thanksgiving?
I’m thankful for:
- Not cooking a turkey! Some years ago, I quit cooking turkeys because I almost never got them right. They were too dry, underdone, burned and/or downright blechy! So I quit making them for Thanksgiving, which has been a wonderful relief to everyone!
- Family traditions at Thanksgiving: black cherry Jello with cream cheese nubs; chorizo cornbread stuffing; sweet potato pie and a tasty roast of some sort
- The steadfast lovingkindness of God that never fails, no matter what’s happening or not happening in my life
- God’s grace with aging because I’m not as bulletproof as I used to think!
- Loving friends and family that help me keep in community and connection
- God’s glorious creativity displayed throughout each day and night as I watch the sky, trees, flowers and bushes, and also reflecting on various animals and natural phenomenon
There are heaps of other things that I’m thankful for, as these are just a few items off the top of my head. Thanksgiving also reminds me of Paul’s directive in Philippians 4:6, “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
In this verse, we’re given an antidote that can help ward off anxiety: the racing mind, frenzied heartrate, shallow breathing, sweaty palms and jumpy intestines. Instead of drowning in anxiety, we can make a different choice in everything. Rather than stressing, we can pray about the stuff that makes us anxious, being certain to make thanksgiving a part of our prayers and requests.
It’s my sincere conviction that gratitude is every bit as important as requests when we offer up prayers to God. I say this because we can easily fall into a “shopping list” mentality with God, telling Him all the stuff that we need and asking for His help, interventions and miracles. To this end, without gratitude, our relationship with God could turn into the Sugar Daddy mindset. Such thinking can devalue our takeaway from Jesus’ life among us, His death and His resurrection. Indeed, gratitude is a healthy ingredient for dynamic relationships, particularly in our walk with God.
So let’s determine to keep our thanksgiving fresh, not only for a day on the annual calendar, but throughout each day! To help you keep gratitude as a lifestyle and not just a holiday, here are a few ideas for your consideration:
- Keep a blank page on the refrigerator so that you can write down one thing each day for which you are grateful.
- Change the home screen on your phone to the word “gratitude.”
- Send a friend or family member a thank you card, telling them that you’re grateful for them, just for who they are!
- Write out the Philippians 4:6 verse on a card or paper and tape it to your bathroom mirror.
- Make a music playlist on your phone that has songs related to gratitude that you would enjoy listening to.
- Send yourself a thank you card in the snail mail on January 1st to remind yourself to be grateful.
What are some of your ideas for being thankful? Feel free to leave comments or post your ideas on my Facebook or Instagram pages so we can all grow in our gratitude!
