Thanksgiving Day is quickly approaching
and along with it, the great times of food, laughter, more food and then an
anticipation of the busy schedules ahead.
Just the thought of the busy schedule often overrides the enjoyment and brings
additional stress in one’s life. It
doesn’t have to be this way. We can
choose to remember and give thanks for the blessings of life just as easily as
we tend to focus on the problems or challenges.
Each of us has so much
for which to be thankful; however, we often take for granted many of these
things. If one would take the time to write the
negatives in one’s life on a sheet of paper and then start to write the
positives or blessings on another, it is safe to say that the blessings would
outnumber the negatives by a huge percentage.
If we are not careful, we will allow the clouds of negativity or
problems dominate our thought process and therefore, we are not even aware of
the “sunshine” that is all around us? There’s an old proverb
that, “Every cloud has a silver lining.” This is often quoted as a means of comforting
one that is having difficulty. It is
another way of emphasizing that there is something positive that can be found
in every situation, no matter how dark or the magnitude of a particular problem.
For many years, in our family, as we sat around
the table on Thanksgiving, with the mouthwatering food before us, each would
take turns to say one thing for which he/she was thankful. Now I’m sure that one really wanted to say by
the time it got around to his/her turn, “I’m
thankful that I’m the last so we can eat before the food is cold,” but they
didn’t.
Expressing thanks is something that requires
discipline and consistency. If one
expresses thankfulness either to one’s spouse, children, other members of
family, friends or to God on a sporadic basis, there will be a tendency take
for granted the things others are doing for us. One will be surprised how the
giving thanks or praise will overshadow the problems and will help to rise above the dark clouds.
So this Thanksgiving, let’s try to concentrate
on the positives or blessings and remember that, “every
problem has a solution; every frustration offers an opportunity; every trial
has an ending; every negative attracts a positive; and every ungrateful thought
offers an avenue to praise and give thanks.”
Cole Porter wrote, “If
you're worried and you can't sleep, just count your blessings instead of sheep
and you'll fall asleep, counting your blessings.”
Take time to Give Thanks. The more we
say it, the easier it becomes.
Happy Thanksgiving!
“Summing
it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating
on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious — the best,
not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to
curse Put into practice what you learned from
me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything
work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.”[1]
