An Attitude of Gratitude
I know this is a phrase we hear a lot especially this time of year. Thanksgiving is time for us to be mindful of all that we are thankful for throughout the year. Most families sit down at the table for their Thanksgiving meal and start with going around the room sharing what they are thankful for. Most people give common answers. I’m thankful for friends, family, pets…
Don’t get me wrong, it is important to be grateful for these people and connections. I give the same answers a lot of the time. But I would challenge us (myself included) to dig deeper. What if we really thought about the things that happened through the year in a way that caused us to be grateful for them instead of looking at the negative of the situation.
An example for me would be when I moved into my apartment, the place was infested in cockroaches and things kept breaking. Sounds like a terrible situation right? Especially since it was my sister and I’s first experience of being on our own. I hated the apartment and if I’m honest still not a huge fan. But I have a place to live. I’m not homeless and the property management company was quick to take care of the pest problem even if it did take months to resolve completely.
I am thankful for a place to live, that I can call my own.
For Christians, at the top of our thankful list should be God. He has provided so much for us. I was writing a devotional the other day on 1 Thessalonians 5:18. It says, “give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” God wants us to give thanks to him in the good and bad situations. This is not something I am good at. But the truth is, God gives us the bad situations so that we can grow in our faith in Him. He wants us to be able to rely on Him, no matter what the situation. Its hard to remember good comes from bad. Its hard in the moment to accept the hard situation but looking back it’s a little easier to see that God was up to something.
I am thankful God gives me challenges to grow my faith.
Keeping an attitude of gratitude can be difficult as the holidays swirl around us. We get caught up in the craziness. The shopping, baking, wrapping presents, holiday events, it can all be overwhelming. My goal this year is to not let all the noise and people around me upset me and take away my joy, happiness, and thankfulness. I will be thankful that I can go shopping for my friends and family. I will be thankful that I have access the ingredients and kitchen that are necessary to bake the holiday sweet treats. I will be thankful that I can be with my friends and family at whatever holiday events occur. I will take a step back and bask in the holiday cheer instead of joining in with the holiday frenzy.
I am thankful for Christmas and for Jesus’ birth.
The hard part comes when all the festivities are over. The after holiday depression sets in. There is nothing to look forward to, nothing to plan for, and no holiday magic in the air. Now it is just cold and rainy, and a little dreary. But lets not forget to be thankful for the times we just spent celebrating with friend and family. The celebration of Jesus being born. Let us find a way to keep our attitude of gratitude going. My plans for after the holiday season to keep gratitude at the forefront of my mind will be to spend more time in the Bible, reminding myself of all that God has given us to be grateful about. I will also be finding small ways to show gratitude to my friends and family throughout the year. Thanksgiving is a great time to show gratitude but the great thing about thanksgiving is that it can be done all year long!
This year I’m thankful for all my followers who believe in my dream of becoming a writer. Thank you for your support. Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!
Much love,
Victoria