A Heart Shift of Thankfulness

As we approach a day of national pause and thankfulness here in the US, many are not feeling the peace and joy that comes from offering up gratitude for the blessings in our lives.  Holidays tend to dredge up a longer to-do list (aka anxiety), angst over unresolved family issues, heartache from those that no longer sit around the table and for many, loneliness.  Isolating one day for a picture perfect tablescape and smiling faces sitting around a turkey to give thanksgiving can be a pretty hefty ask, can’t it?

But what if we knit an attitude of gratitude into our hearts all year long?  What if we thanked God throughout our days, all 365 of them, and lived in that space of gratitude, inviting His presence into our awareness all the time? What if we lived acknowledging all that is good and right in our everyday lives and in turn opened our hearts up to a Peace that only can come from above?  Birthed out of this peace we then began to speak in a language of Love for our life, for others, for ourselves? 

God desires to bless us each and every day.  Offering up thankfulness is not denying the reality of pain or trials that exist, but rather a rejoicing in the One who never leaves our side, unconditionally loves us through it all and provides us with an unearthly strength.  Philippians 4:19 says, “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”   Intentionally pausing and allowing ourselves to see, feel and acknowledge that changes us on a heart level, so much so that when the actual day of Thanksgiving rolls around you just may be able to let go a little bit more of what is not and SEE and FEEL what is.

As you approach this new week, which for many of us includes cooking turkeys and baking pumpkin pies, I invite you to implement a daily practice of thanksgiving if you do not already have one.  A gratitude practice where you intentionally pause to write down three things you are grateful for each and every day.  It is not as easy as it seems but I can assure you, once you open up the floodgates of thankfulness you will not want to stop.