Do you know what I love about Thanksgiving? I love how intentional of a day it is. This one day of the year is set aside and has been for scores of years to pause and reflect with gratitude. Do you know one thing I cringe about on Thanksgiving? I shudder when I realize just how frequently I operate in my daily routine without gratitude.
At the beginning of this year, I made it a point to write down at least one thing every day that I was thankful for. I had trouble keeping the list to just one thing. My heart was overflowing with gratitude to the Lord daily as I recognized His hand in big and small ways in my everyday life. And then, midway through the year, I got…you guessed it…busy. Truly, I was busy all year long, but it caught up to me and my recorded list got sporadic the more distracted I became.
It’s not that I didn’t still thank the Lord for who He is and what He’s done, it’s just that I let myself get more consumed by my circumstances.
One of the most frequented steps to sanctification for me (and I imagine maybe for you) is training my eyes to focus on my Savior instead of my schedule.
Shifting our focus from our challenges to the Champion of our Heart cultivates gratitude.
[easy-tweet tweet=”Shifting our focus from our challenges to the Champion of our Heart cultivates gratitude. ” user=”@JaymeHull” hashtags=”#Thanksgiving”]God Is Moving
As I train my heart and mind to run to worship instead of worry, I find myself watching for how God is moving. To think that He chooses to move at all for my benefit and His glory through any ounce of my life transforms my attitude and outlook. Where my questions of how abound, through prayer, my gaze locks more closely on Whom my hope rests in.
Maybe you need a re-set in the gratitude department from time to time like I do. Today is a great day to set into motion what Colossians 4:2 teaches us, “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
For more wonderful articles visit Emily’s website http://www.emilypmeyer.com
Twitter: @emilypmeyer
