Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude/Thanksgiving compels us to stop, for a moment in time and recognize all that’s in our life, right or wrong, good or bad.
A few years ago someone challenged me to the 30 days of Thankfulness. If you’re not familiar with this, it takes place in November, (of course), Day 1-30 each day you write or tell of something you are thankful for. Over the course of the last few years I’ve done my best to be creative with what I am thankful for. Yes, Faith, Family and Friends were always and still are at the top of that list. But I didn’t want to be generic in my list. I wanted to express authentic gratitude. And then this morning in Church, our Pastor did something very unique. He brought roses to Church (they were fake and you’ll find out why soon.) He asked different ones of the congregation to come forward grab a rose and then give it to another in the Church, but before they presented the rose they had to tell what they were thankful about in that person. Not many dry eyes in the room as each was honored with authentic, heart engaging gratitude.
As he explained his reasoning for the fake roses… they don’t wilt or die, they can be enjoyed for an unlimited duration, but they are also a reminder, a representation of the moment someone said, “I am thankful for you and why.” And then, “It hit me!”
Thanksgiving, a mind set, not just a Holiday!
It’s not always about the business you launched, or the cancer that was cured, or the prodigal who returned home. Yes! These are big items in which to be thankful. And that’s how our mind thinks. It doesn’t process, that no matter what’s going on in your life, you are still you. You’ve been given talents, skills, abilities, attributes, knowledge, inspiration and relationships that’ll take you into a new level a gratitude. A mindset of Thanksgiving.
A mindset that brings us away from everything that is negative, harsh, unexcepting, meaningless. A mindset that relinquishes all we’d like to change. A mindset that forgets past mistakes and poor decisions. A mindset that says I accept you for who you are, no judgments. It tells us to delay our focus on all the rubbish of current life events and turn to what is good and plentiful, joyful and delightful.
Gratitude should be a habitual mindset. Thanksgiving is what we really should be doing every day, 24/7, 365. It has become alienated from our daily routines. Lost in a sea of entitlement, focusing on what we do not have rather than focusing on what we do have. Defaulting to a deficiency rather than sufficiency mindset.
God says, “give Him thanks in all things”. We can even give Him thanks through some of the most challenging and difficult times of our life. Recognizing our pain is never wasted and more often than not is useful for growth.
The mindset Attitude of Gratitude, is not a feeling. It’s an action! In time, the feelings from casual experiences will subside. But to identify gratitude as a collection of choices, will ultimately cultivate a gratitude mindset as a daily purposed application, that will remind us of God’s faithfulness and blessings and the influence they have on our life.
This year I chose NOT to do the 30 days of Thankfulness. Because I want my mindset to be set on a daily attitude of gratitude. Not just Thanksgiving the Holiday.
