Ahhh November. The season of thankfulness...that quickly leads into wishlists for Christmas. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Christmas, and lists...it makes it easier to know what to get people, but I think very often, especially in American culture, we forget how truly blessed we are.
At the end of last year, the Lord challenged me in the area of thankfulness. He asked me to be intentionally thankful for things for 100 days. Each day I was to say 10 things I was thankful for every day. Ten new things every day, no repeats. So by the end of it, I would have at least 1000 things I was thankful for in my life.
I must admit, it was challenging on some days to come up with things that I hadn't already said, or when I was feeling particularly bummed out about life. Some days, the items seemed absolutely ridiculous, but the exercise led me to be thankful for the little things, and to be intentionally thankful. And I began to see exactly how blessed I truly am. Plus, it just helped me to have an attitude of gratitude. So often, we get distracted by things we don't have and that frustration/greed can blind us, and just give us a poopy attitude, but life is so much more joyful when you're thankful.
Psalm 100:4 says we are to enter his gates with Thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Paul tells us to, "give thanks always and for everything to God the Father..." (Eph. 5:20). And in Psalm 50:23 it says, "The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me...." Our thankfulness glorifies God! And sometimes it is a sacrifice, which means it won't always be easy, but it's worth it. Philippians tells us to do all things without grumbling or complaining, and when you're being thankful, it keeps you from complaining. So boom, killing two birds with one stone...offering a sacrifice which glorifies God & not complaining, thus walking in further obedience.
So I challenge you to be intentionally thankful and see if your view of things changes...plus, it glorifies God. :) Perhaps 100 days is too long for you, if so, just do less time, but do something. Even if you just make a quick list on one day, do that. And over time, increase it. In most cases, gratitude doesn't just happen naturally. It's an attitude that we have to cultivate. So cultivate gratitude in your life.
If you feel you can't think of any, besides the obvious ones of family or friends, here's a random list of 100 things I'm thankful for that might inspire or make you think of things in your own life. So in no particular order:
I'm thankful for...
1. My personal relationship with Jesus
2. Amazing parents
3. Sisters
4. Nieces
5. Nephews
6. Brother-in-laws
7. That I currently live in Hawaii
8. Coffee
9. Chocolate!!!!!!
10. Hot chocolate (which I'm drinking right now!)
11. Care packages
12. Indoor plumbing
13. Hot showers
14. Washers & Dryers
15. Hair dryers
16. Flat-irons
17. Pillows
18. That they try to have a gluten free food option in the cafeteria now
19. Yummy smelling candles
20. Couches
21. Carpet
22. My sight
23. A sense of smell
24. A sense of taste
25. Sense of touch
26. Sense of hearing
27. That I can read
28. For a college education
29. Technology that allows me to stay in touch with people in far away countries
30. For my computer
31. For my cell phone
33. For headphones that allow me to listen to music without bothering others
34. Shampoo
35. Conditioner
36. Soap
37. Razors
38. Towels
39. Toothbrush
40. Tooth paste
41. Deodorant
42. When other people where deodorant**
43. For my current roommates
44. White Christmas lights
45. Clean sheets
46. Christmas music
47. A mattress
48. Electricity
49. Gluten-free brownies
50. Wonderful supporters who encourage & pray for me
51. Eggs
52. Yogurt
53. Ceiling fans
54. Speakers that leave their practices & normal jobs to come teach me primary health care
55. That I'm getting to learn about primary health care
56. Internet
57. That I am able to run
58. That aside from gluten-intolerance, I am overall healthy with no issues
59. For sunscreen
60. Clothing options & I don't have to wear the same thing every day
61. Shoe options
62. That I have religious freedom
63. That I can go out alone as a woman (with wisdom of course...I'm not going running alone at night or anything.)
64. That I can freely speak to men, don't have to follow behind one, or stay covered head to toe so as not to be seen by one
65. That I can wear shorts & tank tops here
66. That I can go before God personally and don't have to pray to a saint, confess to a priest, or make some animal sacrifice to try to get right with him.
67. For ice cream
68. For BBQs
69. For the ocean
70. For mountains
71. For sunsets
72. For trees
73. For grass
74. For cheese
75. For the ability to travel to far off places
76. That I've been able experience 21 countries & counting!
77. For YWAM
78. For jackets when it's cold
79. Heaters
80. Gloves
81. For the body's ability to fight disease
82. For clean drinking water
83. For flushing toilets
84. For beautiful flowers
85. My Bible
86. That I'm able to get the Bible in different translations
87. For hats that protect me from the harsh Hawaiian sun
88. For my work duty...that puts me outside & using my hands
89. For the community I'm living in here in Kona
90. That every week, there are multiple times of corporate prayer & worship here
91. For avocados
92. That I get free avocados from my work duty
93. For the ability to drive
94. That there's a coffee pot in my room so I'm able to make my own coffee
95. That the Lord has ALWAYS provided for my need
96. That I'm going to India soon to help people live healthier, better lives
97. For the adventure that life is when you say "yes" to the Lord
98. For fresh fruit
99. For cleaning supplies to keep my home clean & safe
100. For friends who are trustworthy & you can share anything with them
Ok, so I just did that in about 20 minutes. One hundred things. That's not too long, but it doesn't have to be that many either. The more you are thankful, the easier it is to see things all around you and how blessed you are, and it glorifies God. So begin cultivating your attitude of gratitude! :)
At the end of last year, the Lord challenged me in the area of thankfulness. He asked me to be intentionally thankful for things for 100 days. Each day I was to say 10 things I was thankful for every day. Ten new things every day, no repeats. So by the end of it, I would have at least 1000 things I was thankful for in my life.
I must admit, it was challenging on some days to come up with things that I hadn't already said, or when I was feeling particularly bummed out about life. Some days, the items seemed absolutely ridiculous, but the exercise led me to be thankful for the little things, and to be intentionally thankful. And I began to see exactly how blessed I truly am. Plus, it just helped me to have an attitude of gratitude. So often, we get distracted by things we don't have and that frustration/greed can blind us, and just give us a poopy attitude, but life is so much more joyful when you're thankful.
Psalm 100:4 says we are to enter his gates with Thanksgiving and his courts with praise. Paul tells us to, "give thanks always and for everything to God the Father..." (Eph. 5:20). And in Psalm 50:23 it says, "The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me...." Our thankfulness glorifies God! And sometimes it is a sacrifice, which means it won't always be easy, but it's worth it. Philippians tells us to do all things without grumbling or complaining, and when you're being thankful, it keeps you from complaining. So boom, killing two birds with one stone...offering a sacrifice which glorifies God & not complaining, thus walking in further obedience.
So I challenge you to be intentionally thankful and see if your view of things changes...plus, it glorifies God. :) Perhaps 100 days is too long for you, if so, just do less time, but do something. Even if you just make a quick list on one day, do that. And over time, increase it. In most cases, gratitude doesn't just happen naturally. It's an attitude that we have to cultivate. So cultivate gratitude in your life.
If you feel you can't think of any, besides the obvious ones of family or friends, here's a random list of 100 things I'm thankful for that might inspire or make you think of things in your own life. So in no particular order:
I'm thankful for...
1. My personal relationship with Jesus
2. Amazing parents
3. Sisters
4. Nieces
5. Nephews
6. Brother-in-laws
7. That I currently live in Hawaii
8. Coffee
9. Chocolate!!!!!!
10. Hot chocolate (which I'm drinking right now!)
11. Care packages
12. Indoor plumbing
13. Hot showers
14. Washers & Dryers
15. Hair dryers
16. Flat-irons
17. Pillows
18. That they try to have a gluten free food option in the cafeteria now
19. Yummy smelling candles
20. Couches
21. Carpet
22. My sight
23. A sense of smell
24. A sense of taste
25. Sense of touch
26. Sense of hearing
27. That I can read
28. For a college education
29. Technology that allows me to stay in touch with people in far away countries
30. For my computer
31. For my cell phone
33. For headphones that allow me to listen to music without bothering others
34. Shampoo
35. Conditioner
36. Soap
37. Razors
38. Towels
39. Toothbrush
40. Tooth paste
41. Deodorant
42. When other people where deodorant**
43. For my current roommates
44. White Christmas lights
45. Clean sheets
46. Christmas music
47. A mattress
48. Electricity
49. Gluten-free brownies
50. Wonderful supporters who encourage & pray for me
51. Eggs
52. Yogurt
53. Ceiling fans
54. Speakers that leave their practices & normal jobs to come teach me primary health care
55. That I'm getting to learn about primary health care
56. Internet
57. That I am able to run
58. That aside from gluten-intolerance, I am overall healthy with no issues
59. For sunscreen
60. Clothing options & I don't have to wear the same thing every day
61. Shoe options
62. That I have religious freedom
63. That I can go out alone as a woman (with wisdom of course...I'm not going running alone at night or anything.)
64. That I can freely speak to men, don't have to follow behind one, or stay covered head to toe so as not to be seen by one
65. That I can wear shorts & tank tops here
66. That I can go before God personally and don't have to pray to a saint, confess to a priest, or make some animal sacrifice to try to get right with him.
67. For ice cream
68. For BBQs
69. For the ocean
70. For mountains
71. For sunsets
72. For trees
73. For grass
74. For cheese
75. For the ability to travel to far off places
76. That I've been able experience 21 countries & counting!
77. For YWAM
78. For jackets when it's cold
79. Heaters
80. Gloves
81. For the body's ability to fight disease
82. For clean drinking water
83. For flushing toilets
84. For beautiful flowers
85. My Bible
86. That I'm able to get the Bible in different translations
87. For hats that protect me from the harsh Hawaiian sun
88. For my work duty...that puts me outside & using my hands
89. For the community I'm living in here in Kona
90. That every week, there are multiple times of corporate prayer & worship here
91. For avocados
92. That I get free avocados from my work duty
93. For the ability to drive
94. That there's a coffee pot in my room so I'm able to make my own coffee
95. That the Lord has ALWAYS provided for my need
96. That I'm going to India soon to help people live healthier, better lives
97. For the adventure that life is when you say "yes" to the Lord
98. For fresh fruit
99. For cleaning supplies to keep my home clean & safe
100. For friends who are trustworthy & you can share anything with them
Ok, so I just did that in about 20 minutes. One hundred things. That's not too long, but it doesn't have to be that many either. The more you are thankful, the easier it is to see things all around you and how blessed you are, and it glorifies God. So begin cultivating your attitude of gratitude! :)
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