Cultivating a Life of Thanks

It's been quiet over here on the blog. I'm not entirely sure why, but I've been in a bit of a quiet and contemplative mood the past couple of weeks. Thanksgiving has become my absolute favorite holiday. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas and some others, but there's just something about a time where you gather with family and friends to collectively reflect on your blessings. Other than the Black Friday mess (that's a WHOLE other story), Thanksgiving is largely untouched by the consumerism and frantic pace that can mar the holidays.


I try to spend the month of November slowing down to really taking note of all of the people and things in my life that I'm grateful for. And while material things sometimes enter the picture, the overwhelming theme to what I'm most grateful for centers around love. This year as I reflect, the verse that the Lord has brought to my heart repeatedly is Psalm 95:2.

How many times do I come to the Lord in prayer and open my mouth to recite a long list of things that I think I need or that I'm worried about before I even consider and thank Him for all that He has done for me? Even if He hadn't blessed me with my husband and children, wonderful family and friends, a comfortable home and a beautiful life, He has still been so good to me. His love has completely transformed me from an insecure, self-loathing girl looking for love, acceptance, and peace in all the wrong places to a completely different woman - a daughter of the King, confident of who He has made me to be and excited to be walking in the destiny He has for my life.

This year, I feel an urgency in my spirit to really strive to create a culture of thanks in our home that extends far beyond Thanksgiving into every aspect of our lives throughout the year. Pure thanks cannot be dependent on our circumstances, because circumstances change. When finding himself in a painful and seemingly impossible circumstance, Paul says:

I don't know about you, but often I can get caught up and focused on the "next thing". Whether it's the next season of life or the next purchase I want to make, my attention can be so consumed in the future. And often, once I get it, I'm not satisfied or at peace.....I'm looking ahead to the next thing! I want it to stop. I want to live each day (not just at Thanksgiving) in the peace and grace that stems from a heart that is truly thankful. I want to be present and engage in where I am right here, right now. I want to put down my phone more and appreciate who and what is right in front of me. I want to show my girls how to be content and thankful instead of telling them they should be. I want to be intentional in how I spend my thoughts, time, money and emotions. I want to give more and desire less. I want to be grateful for each and every gift in front of me because I truly am so very blessed.