Practice Being Thankful
We just celebrated Thanksgiving which begs the question, how thankful are you?
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT) says, “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” God’s will is for us to become a thankful person. When we are going through difficult circumstances we might have to dig a little deeper to connect with our thankfulness muscles. Muscle memory takes place when we physically repeat something over and over until our muscles respond automatically to that which they were trained to do. I’ve been surfing for almost 50 years. My muscles know what to do when I start paddling for a wave. In fact by the time I jump on top of my board and start surfing the wave I’ve involved the majority of muscles in my body. Each muscle knows what to do because I’ve ridden thousands of waves. So how do we train our thankfulness muscles?
Maybe understanding the benefits of thankfulness is a good place to start. A group of Harvard researchers did a massive study on thankfulness. Based on their research they concluded that gratitude reprograms the mind, leading to greater creativity, energy, optimism, social connection, health, forgiveness, generosity, and joy. Thankfulness is also having the right perspective. Here is a good working definition of thankfulness and a thankful person: A thankful person is a person who wants what they already have. Thankfulness is wanting what you have, because you understand that everything you have is a gift from God. Of course everything about our culture works against this.
Black Friday is like a national holiday now. I’m not saying we shouldn't look for a good deal when we can get one but when you got home from the mall, or Best Buy, or wherever you went shopping was that enough? Did seeing all those beautiful shiny objects in the store leave you wanting for more or did it leave you feeling blessed for what you have?
Contentment and thankfulness work hand in hand. Costco is one of my favorite places to shop. I’ve been shopping there for decades. Early on I had to train myself, or in some cases restrain myself from buying all the stuff I wanted. I remember coming home from Costco thinking about all the stuff I wanted but couldn't afford to buy. I realized at that point in my life that I needed to recalibrate the internal conversations that were taking place in my head. I started practicing being thankful for what I already had. I’m not saying I’ve arrived or that my thankfulness muscles are in perfect condition but I’ve come a long way and consequently I feel more content. If you are struggling with being a thankful person allow me to share some things from my own experience that I believe will help you.
Start each morning by thanking God for what he has blessed you with. My list includes my family, our home, our vehicles, our clothes including all my wife's shoes, okay, mine too, our excellent health care, our church family and, well I could go on but you get the main idea. There is so much to be thankful for.
Thank God for the little things. I thank God for good coffee, for catching a good wave, for good food, especially pasta, and all the little things you might take for granted. Take time to notice those little blessings and it will bring a smile to your face.
If you are having a particularly hard day, take a few minutes to go down memory lane and think about some of the special things God has done for you. I was doing some journaling the other day and I began recounting all the places I’ve been able to travel to around the world. Just thinking about those places and who I was with, filled my heart with thankfulness.
Finally, embrace thankfulness and say, “I want what I have.” If your neighbor has a nicer home than you, walk around your house and say, “I love this house.” If your co-worker drives a brand new 911 Porsche, take a deep breath next time you climb into your car and say, “I’m so blessed to have this car.” Instead of being envious of your friend's trendy clothes, thank God for your vintage clothes. We have so much to be thankful for but it takes practice to realize it.
I’m praying for you on your thankfulness journey.
Love and blessings,
Steve