So the Thanksgiving holiday has come and gone, and most of us are a few pounds heavier than we were a few days ago. In spite of government officials and Covid-19, most of us gathered together with our families to celebrate the day. For one beautiful day we gave thanks for our blessings, our family members, our friends and that we’ve lived to see another day.
But what now?
Life moves on and for just about all of us it means so much more than dealing with turkey leftovers. Unfortunately the days ahead aren’t going to be all sunshine and rainbows, and pretty soon our one beautiful day of Thanksgiving will fade in the face of reality.
But did you know that Thanksgiving doesn’t have to end?
It’s not just one day of the year. It’s true! We can be thankful every single day of the year. But being thankful takes practice. How?
It’s not what we might think. Being thankful isn’t ignoring our problems or struggles. It isn’t by applying ‘positive thinking’. It’s not about forcing ourselves to be cheerful or happy.
Being thankful every day simply means that in spite of our struggles we make the decision to thank God.
Some days will be easier than others, and I’m not going to lie, some days being thankful will be the most difficult thing in the world to do. Developing a life of thanksgiving will not happen overnight, it must be cultivated by little daily decisions to thank God.
Here’s an exercise for us to follow.
Every day, regardless of what’s going on in your life make it a part of your routine to find one thing to thank God for. Write it down and stick it somewhere you can see, or start a Thanksgiving Jar to keep it in. When you’ve got being thankful for one thing down, move on to two, then three, and so on…until you’ve filled that jar and need another one.
Then, when you have rough days where nothing is going right, or you’re feeling blue, or you just need a little Thanksgiving pick-me-up, go back to that Thanksgiving Jar. Pull each one out, read them, and let the spirit of thankfulness take over your heart.
The more you practice the easier it will get. Before long being thankful will be second nature and pretty soon you will find that giving thanks is more than just a day we celebrate.
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 100:4-5