A Thankful Thanksgiving

Do you know what you’ll say when it’s your turn to answer the inevitable question, “What are you thankful for this year?”

If you’re like me, you’ll probably say something like “friends, family, food…and of course, Jesus.” (And then you’ll wish you’d said Jesus first because that’s what you meant, right? Semi-religious holidays can be so hard!)

Several years ago, when my life had become narrow and hemmed in with caregiving and work and church responsibilities, I could hardly say even that. I knew I needed to expand my understanding of thankfulness.

The private, ongoing practice of thankfulness invigorates.

It started with a minute. I often bike around a beautiful river path. I began to stop on a pedestrian bridge for exactly one minute, quiet my demanding thoughts, and just be thankful to the Lord—not for anything in particular but for everything in general. I did this every time I rode that route. And that simple, set-aside minute changed my focus, revitalized my spirit, and created room for deeper responses to God. I became more aware of each present moment and eager to live that moment fully.

Could you find a minute a day to practice thankfulness?

Thankfulness opens new horizons.

During an extraordinarily rough patch, I happened upon this quote:

What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?

A copy of this saying sat in my office for several years and now lives, wrinkled and warped, on my bathroom counter. I suppose it could sound like a “be grateful or you could lose everything” maxim, but for me it’s simply a great, always-startling reminder to move my thankfulness from the general to the particular. Learning to “give thanks in all things for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” is not quick work. We are all mostly beginners, especially when it comes to unmet expectations, disappointing relationships, crushing circumstances, or personal failures. It may not be quick work, but it is good! It lets us see people and situations more through God’s eyes and less through our own.

What is one challenging “particular” you could thank God for today, trusting Him with the results?

The practice of thankfulness builds relationship.

Most of us who have been Christians for a long time have unanswered questions. And we can be afraid of those questions—afraid that we won’t “hear” answers or even that there are no answers. But as I’ve been rebuilding a foundation of thankfulness to God “in everything,” I’ve discovered something entirely different. Heartfelt thankfulness leads to a closer connection, much as it does in relationships with people. In this atmosphere of love and trust, I can ask those hard questions. And through some wonderful work of God, which I don’t understand (but for which I am thankful!), I’m better able to live with both answers and mystery.

Will you let thankfulness draw you closer to God?

Thanksgiving is a wonderful opportunity to publically express thankfulness for family, friends, food…and Jesus, but it can be so much more. It can also be a great starting point for privately exploring, expanding, and embracing day-by-day gratitude to God for all of the parts of this precious here-and-now life.

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Betty Fletcher is an editor, writer, and photographer with 25 years of publishing experience in the Christian trade. Her photography is featured in Gentle Prayers for Hope and Healing and Because You Care. She makes her home in Oregon’s Willamette Valley.