This season of harvest is automatically one of gratitude, isn’t it? How can we not be grateful when lawns and gardens are decorated in pumpkins, gourds, cornstalks, acorns and falling leaves? Even in a year with a derecho that flattened millions of acres of Iowa corn, the soybeans were spared damage. That was a blessing for farmers, even if it seems small in the giant scope of things.
Life often reflects the change of seasons. There are seasons of thankfulness and seasons of sorrow. Many writers have realized how beneficial it is to list ways we are grateful. To have a heart of gratitude is to lift our spirit toward heaven.
“Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into His presence with singing! Know that the Lord, He is God! It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name! For the Lord is good; His steadfast love endures forever, and His faithfulness to all generations,” (Psalm 100:1-5 ESV).
Taking time to write down what we are thankful for draws our hearts closer to Jesus. Some suggest journaling three things we are thankful for at the end of each day. It will not only help us sleep better, it will change our attitude for tomorrow.
“Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wondrous works to the children of man! For He satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul He fills with good things,” (Psalm 107:8-9 ESV).
Every day we are blessed in countless ways. When we are down or feeling sad, the fastest way to restore our joy is to list our blessings from the Lord…A good meal, time with grandchildren, a call from a friend, no bills in the mail, snuggle time with a pet, time to study the Bible and pray, our spouse, FaceTime, items checked off the ‘to do’ list, a sunny morning, a blue bird sighting, colorful leaves, acorns under the oak tree, a squirrel dashing across the lawn, a warm house, hot coffee, fragrance of something baking, Zoom, running water, an indoor bathroom… the list can go on and on if we take time to think about it.
Our lives are full of blessings. We have so much to be thankful for!
This season of thanksgiving and gratitude is a perfect time to draw closer to the presence of God, for nurturing our relationship with Our Savior and Our Father God. Let’s challenge ourselves to begin a gratitude journal for this season of thanksgiving.
The directive comes from the words of John, “He must increase, but I must decrease,” (John 3:30 ESV).
This has been a challenging year for many of us, but with hearts of gratitude we can reflect on all we have and need in Christ Jesus! It’s a change of attitude and a focus that can redirect our perspective. When we focus on gratitude and the Great Giver of all good gifts, God Our Father, the difficulties in our lives become more bearable. God is for us, pandemic or not.