The day where we consumed more calories and carbs than most days is now officially over, but Thanksgiving is not just a day where we cook and eat more food than we should.
It’s the day where we are reminded to allow gratitude to spill over into each new day we live through. We are not supposed to put away thankfulness like we put away our special dishes that probably wonder why they can’t be on our tables more often.
Thanksgiving should be a daily rhythm beyond what we say with words – it’s the thing we are to live. It’s so easy to get into the flow of entitlement where we just expect things to be like they are. As in running water, heaters, coolers, food in our refrigerators, freedom to worship our God, etc. When was the last time you thanked God for all the resources provided for you and your family?
Do we just take for granted we will always have tissue paper to stock our bathrooms, stores filled with milk, eggs and bread, or water to flow to nourish our thirst or get clean?
Those resources are not taken for granted by individuals in other nations, because basic resources are not always available. We are spoiled in our nation and sometimes that makes us forgetful.
Today, I want to challenge you all as much as I am challenging myself. Let’s be more thankful. Let’s allow gratitude into new areas of our heart.
If you have a hard time being thankful because your mind always wants to focus on the things going wrong – try changing that beginning today. Do something different. Tell self-pity your’re not going to listen to its grumbling voice any longer and you are going to look for ways to cultivate gratitude.
When I say this, I’m not saying, “be a happy, positive person all the time.” Plastering a fake smile on your face isn’t really going to help. Gratitude begins with the miraculous breath God grants us each day.
Think about it, although our breath is with us from the moment of birth until the moment of death, most of the time we take it for granted.
With mindfulness of this great gift, we can cultivate awareness of and gratitude for the in-breath and out-breath which connects us the One who gave us breath.
Today I want to leave you with three quotes about the importance and value of gratitude.
“Gratitude is the memory of the heart and not just the mind.
“Gratitude is an art of painting an adversity into a lovely picture.”
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.”
Happy Thanksgiving to all you my friends. I am thankful for you.
