Cultivating Thankfulness
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. Psalm 100:4 NIV
Just a few more days and Thanksgiving will be here! Are you a thankful person or an overly stressed person? I’ve decided that you really can’t be both. Truly thankful people exhibit a certain peace about them. They realize that everything they’ve been given is on loan from the Creator and that He has ultimate control.
Consider this: Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession. James 1: 17-18 NLT
When thankful people take their eyes off of Christ, even for a moment—they usually becoming overly stressed people. I’ll admit I have a lot of stressors in my life right now. It’s so easy for me to try to fix these things myself and forget that God is intimately aware of all things going on in my life and business. I have to constantly renew my mind and place all of my stresses and burdens on the Lord. Then I become a thankful person again and my focus is back where it should be.
Tips to cultivate thankfulness in your life and business:
- Make a list of 100 things you are thankful for. Post it close to your workstation so you’ll see it daily.
- Start each day giving thanks to the one who gave us everything!
- Tell your family, individually, how thankful you are for them. Then follow up with a hand-written note.
- Play worship music in your home regularly and while you work. It’s hard to get discouraged with God’s Word set to music in the background.
- Print out some scripture verses about being thankful. Post them throughout your home and office.
- Pray as a family at dinner. Take the time to share what each of you are thankful for on a regular basis. Not just on Thanksgiving day!
- Find an accountability partner who will help you keep your focus on Christ and not on your stress.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Until next time…
MariLee Parrish
Copyright © MariLee Parrish, Moms of Faith, All Rights Reserved