22 Nov A Season of Thanks

The holidays are upon us, and with this time of year, comes one of my favorite holidays. Before jumping to visions of dancing sugar plums and all things red and green, know that I am not talking about Christmas.

Of course, I love Christmas. I love to celebrate the birth of our Savior. I love to spend a little extra time with my family. I love to turn my attention to the new year ahead and all that God might have in store for us. However, before all of that, I love to stop and take time to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Our culture so often overlooks this important holiday. I often joke that the reason for this is that there are just no good Thanksgiving songs and all of us want to press fast-forward into the Christmas music. Seriously, our culture does seem more comfortable with the materialism of Santa Claus than the discipline of gratitude. Instead of entering the Christmas season focusing on all there is to do and what everyone may want, I try to begin by focusing on all I have and being thankful to the ultimate Giver of “every good and perfect gift,” (James 1:17, NIV).

“Instead of entering the Christmas season focusing on all there is to do and what everyone may want, I try to begin by focusing on all I have and being thankful.”

I must confess that I am not a naturally thankful person. I tend to focus on problems to be solved and overlook what God has already done for me. I like to call myself a realist, but I would not argue too vehemently with anyone who might want to call me a pessimist. I have found that it is essential for me to practice what a friend of mine calls an attitude of gratitude. This is true at Thanksgiving and throughout the year. Paul admonishes us in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 to, “be thankful in all circumstances.” This takes work.

Over the years I have adopted some ideas to discipline myself to be thankful. First, I begin each prayer praising God for one of His attributes and thanking Him for one of His many blessings. This helps me focus on Him instead of on what I think I need from Him. Second, I purposely choose to replace complaining with three things I am thankful for regarding the complaint. This is especially fun to do with my children! Third, I deliberately stop and thank God throughout my day for seemingly insignificant things like a beautiful sunset or even a quiet moment.

So how about you? Does thanksgiving come easy for you, or do you find yourself rushing right into the Christmas season? What are some ideas you have for practicing an attitude of gratitude during this holiday time and throughout the rest of the year?

-Michelle Maenche