It’s the season of thankfulness. For some of us, that comes easy. Our family is all together, the moments are savored, and the smells and sounds bring us back to all the wonderful moments of our youth.
But for many of us, being thankful can feel a lot like going to the dentist for a filling or root canal. Maybe your life has taken several unexpected detours and wound you up in a ditch.
Being thankful when things are going good is often easy. It’s when things aren’t going your way that being thankful seems hard or downright out of reach.
Yet in other seasons, we are hustling and bustling and simply don’t have time to pause, reflect, and express our gratitude. Time is fleeting and we have to get all the things done, yesterday!
As hard as this may be to hear, we can truly be thankful in any season. It takes effort, consistency, and faith muscles. It’s really a lot like starting a new diet or fitness regimen: it’s hard at first but gets easier and comes more natural with time and repetitions.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says; “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus”.
God's word doesn’t say give thanks only when things are going your way or only when it’s convenient. Nope, his word says to give thanks in ALL circumstances.
So how do we do that? How do we remain thankful even in the trials and struggles of life? How do we gain some consistency and flex our faith muscles?
Here are a few ways to get you on the gravy train to more thankfulness in your life:
1. Set an alarm on your phone to pray for just two minutes a day. But when you pray, first practice thankfulness- examine what you are thankful for and then say that in your prayer. At times it may be that you are thankful for your cup of coffee, a cancelled work meeting, or that your kids made it on the bus on time today.
2. Give yourself daily reminders to help you remember to always be thankful. Write a phrase such as “always be grateful” or “I get to” on your bathroom mirror (with expo markers), stick a post it note on your fridge or computer, or make a bracelet.
3. Tell a close friend you are practicing thankfulness. Ask them if it’s okay that you send them a text once a week with a list of things you are thankful for. Then set and alarm weekly on your phone to send that friend your thankful list. For me, it’s called “Thankful Thursdays” and at 7am I send my gal pals my list of things I’m thankful for.
When you do these three simple things for a month, I promise you people will start to take notice. You might feel a little more pep in your step, perhaps a little lighter on your feet, and you may have inspired just a few people in your circle of friends to practice some thankfulness themselves.
Check out Philippians 4:4-7: Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
God wants our thankfulness to be a response always, even when we are anxious, stressed, or when life isn’t quite going our way. There are more than 10,000 reasons each of us can be thankful this season. Let’s challenge ourselves to not only recall them daily, but also be a light and share them with others!
“You’re rich in love and You’re slow to anger,
Your Name is great and Your heart is kind;
For all Your goodness I will keep on singing,
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
O my soul, worship His holy Name.
Sing like never before,
O my soul.
I’ll worship Your holy Name.”