30 Days of Thanksgiving-Being Thankful Isn't Always Easy

     This month, I'm blogging about Thanksgiving. Not just about the holiday, but about developing a lifestyle of thanksgiving which can radically change your life.

      Several years ago, I wrote a bible study called "30 Days of Thanks." What I determined during my research is that "thanksgiving" boils down to four things:

      1- Thanksgiving is an act of gratitude

      2- Thanksgiving is an act of sacrifice

      3- Thanksgiving is a call to relationship

      4- Thanksgiving is a call to action

      In the last blog, I wrote about gratitude as a lifestyle. Read it here. Thanksgiving is also an act of sacrifice. Ouch. Sacrifice? Like... give something up?: Like... put someone or something else ahead of my own interests? Like...not always being #1? 

      Yeah. Like that.

       In the Old Testament, "sacrifice" had a literal meaning. It typically meant a physical sacrifice of food or animals. When Christ came on the scene, the meaning of sacrifice began to change. The apostle Paul tells us that sacrifice is no longer mostly about the act. It's more about the heart because what's in our heart will determine the way we act. (Funny how that works, huh?)

      Thanksgiving is sacrifice because it is not always easy. Sometimes we just don't feel like being thankful. We can't see the good in what is happening in our own life, in the lives of our family or friends, or in the world. We see innocent people murdered, lives cut short by disease, and relationships splintered by hurtful actions.  We are sad, hurting, angry or confused. We just don't feel like saying 'thank you."

        So, why do it? Lots of reasons. First, giving thanks takes the focus off what is troubling us and puts it on something, or someone, positive. It keeps us from being paralyzed by fear, anger, or grief. It keeps us from rash actions that may be driven by our fear, anger or grief. Sacrificial thanks may not change our situation but it may change us. And if we are changed, we may view our situation differently and be more open to finding solutions to problems or challenges.

         Hear me on this: giving thanks in difficult times doesn't mean we ignore what is troubling us. It means we find one good thing or person in the situation and give thanks in the midst of the trouble. It doesn't mean we ignore the evil in the world- whether it's our own little world or the world at large. It means we give thanks that we have the heart to recognize the evil and the motivation to change the situation. It doesn't mean that our heart doesn't hurt. It means we open our hurting heart to the people or opportunities that can bring healing.

          Sometimes, we have to ask God to show us what we can be thankful for. And when he does... and when we are... there's one last step. We look for sacrificial ways to "do good." In the book of Hebrews, we are told to "do good and share with others for with such sacrifices, God is pleased."(Hebrews 13:16 emphasis mine)

           In my last blog post, I asked you to take inventory of your life and write down what you are truly thankful for in your life. People, community, church, health, possessions, forgiveness, grace... etc.

          Now, I want you to list at least two things that you find it difficult, if not impossible, to be thankful for. Then, I want you to think about those things, meditate on them, then write down one or two ways you can still give thanks. Sacrificial thanks. From your heart.

          Don't feel like giving thanks? For just this one month, do it anyway. Then, do good. See if it makes a difference in you life. I believe it will. And, I'd love to hear from you about it.

Next Blog: Thanksgiving is a call to relationship

30 Days of Thanks: It's More Than Mere Words (Day 1)

“30 Days of Thanks.” It’s a thing. For the past several years, people have used the entire month of November, not just Thanksgiving Day, as an opportunity to reflect on what they are thankful for in their lives. They post about it on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. They write about the people, things, and opportunities for which they give thanks. That’s a good thing. And, I’ve read that if we do something consistently for 30 days, it becomes a habit. That makes “30 Days of Thanks” an even better thing.

     I’ve been encouraging a journey of 30 Days of Thanks since before it was “a thing.” In 2009, I wrote a bible study on the importance of a thankful lifestyle. Here’s what I learned:

1.      Thanksgiving is an act of gratitude.

2.      Thanksgiving is an act of sacrifice.

3.      Thanksgiving is a call relationship

4.      Thanksgiving is a call to action

     Did you notice that in each of those statements, “thanksgiving” is a noun that requires an action? How about that? Thanksgiving is something we “do” and as such, becomes part of who we are. Thanksgiving is largely about the attitude of the heart. Why is that so important?                       

     The practice of giving thanks is established in both the Old and New Testaments. The act of gratitude, giving thanks first and foremost to God, was a crucial part of not only worship but also of lifestyle because, “Every good and perfect gift is from above…” (James 1:17.)  

     Thanksgiving is also an act of gratitude toward others. When someone shows you a kindness, feel grateful instead of entitled. When someone offers to open the door, pick up the tab, or pay you a compliment, accept their courtesy and then tell them how much you appreciate them. Your appreciation will be a boost to their spirit, and to yours! 

  The act of gratitude is important because it takes the focus off "self" and puts it on God and on the people who make our life worth living. It reminds us that we are part of something bigger than our own ego. It reminds us that our life is full not only because of our own efforts but because of answers to prayer and acts of love from other people. It prevents us from becoming arrogant and thinking we've gotten to where we are without any help... from "above" and from others. It keeps our heart soft instead allowing it to become hard. It reminds us of just how much we need God and others in our lives. This attitude of gratitude will spill over to others. Have you ever known someone who was just-so-joyful because they were just-so-thankful not just in the moment, but every day? This is the person who has allowed gratitude to become an attitude!

     How can we show our gratitude to God?

1.      Talk to him (prayer)

2.      Read his “letters” to you (bible study)

3.      Pay it forward (use what he gives to us to bless others)

4.      Be the hands and feet of Jesus in the world (service)

5.      Follow the example of Jesus (be kind, giving, forgiving, moral, instructive)

     How can we show our gratitude to others?

1.      Talk with them (spend time talking, not just texting or emailing)

2.      Write a letter of thanks or appreciation to them

3.      Pay it forward (do something nice for no reason at all

  -    Follow the example of Jesus (be kind, giving, forgiving, moral, instructive)

                       One of the first ways we can begin to cultivate a mindset of gratitude, or thankfulness, is to take inventory of our lives. Despite the hassles and heartbreaks our life may be sprinkled with, when we take inventory we are often surprised to see just how much we have to be truly thankful for... the people in our life, our health, our possessions, our community.

                        I challenge you to take that inventory today. Write a list of what you have to be most thankful for. Take your list and put it somewhere you will see it every morning. Put it by the coffeemaker, your toothbrush, your bathroom mirror. Read the list every morning and find one way, just one way for that one day, to demonstrate your gratitude to God for the goodness He has shown you, recalling that every good and perfect gift has come from Him. These may be outright gifts or opportunities He puts in our path, or people, or wisdom and strength to do what we have to do. Find one way, just one way for that one day, to demonstrate your gratitude to others for the blessings they bring into your life. Give thanks for them and give thanks TO them!

                      In my Sunday School class, we would write our "thanksgivings" on colored strips of construction paper, then loop the strips, staple them and attach the loops. At the end of November, we had a chain... tangible evidence of all the goodness in our lives. My husband and I are going to do that this month. Why don't you do the same? Take pictures of your "chain of thanks" as it grows day by day. Your heart will be full. I'd love to hear from you about that.

                        Next blog: Thanksgiving is an act of sacrifice.

                        PS- I'm thankful for you and that you took the time to read this. God bless you and yours during this Thanksgiving month.