what a month.
we have had some tough-to-read posts, encouragement posts, thought-provoking posts, change posts… a month focused on being thankful. does being thankful end when thanksgiving is over? the pie is finished. turkey soup is gone.
or do we aim to make it a part of our lives? a part of our fiber. a part of who God desires us to be. the very thing He asks from us in return for all of His greatness. to whisper – to write – to acknowledge – to verbalize words of thanksgiving in all things.
“It’s hard, euchartisteo. I am trying, really trying: Practice. The discipline of thanks comes only with practice.” {1000 Gifts, Ann Voskamp, Page 135}
anything you want to be great at takes practice. intention. practice. intention.
i want to be intentional at giving thanks. making the choice to give thanks regardless of my mood. schedule. busyness of life.
“The practice of giving thanks… eucharisteo… this is the way we practice the presence of God, stay present in is presence, and it is always a practice of the eyes. We don’t have to change what we see. Only the way we see it.” {1000 Gifts, Ann Voskamp, Page 135}
oh boy. this tough. remembering to being thankful in everything.
recently i posted these on two statuses on Facebook:
Thankful Abby throws her gum at me while driving (it means she isn’t swallowing it!!)
Jack’s juice spilled in my bag. Heart has changed to be thankful. So instead of irritation right now, I am thankful I have a bag & can buy juice for my sweet kiddos! Lov’n Jesus.
i love my children. oh, do i ever. but sometimes i lost my temper. i am out-of-control. i get angry. put the kids in time out, when i need the time out. God made us human. we have emotions. we sometime choose our natural response to things. those two comments above could have turned ugly. quickly. but i made an eager decision to look at it differently. to be thankful that my sweet daughter has learned to stop swallowing her gum & thankful that we have the money to choose juice at the grocery store.
take actions women & men of faith. choose to pause. think. give thanks. then respond.
be intentional.
be courageous.
About Someone Giving Thanks
Very nice Aimee! I work on that daily! It’s not always easy, but it is necessary! Miss your sweet kiddos
Isn’t it amazing how this book has called us all to action and change? I’ve loved being part of this month at FLT and reading the incredible posts. You would think a month of giving thanks would be all chipper and smiles, but it has been a hard journey. A totally hard and worthwhile journey.
yes, daily struggle for sure. making it a point. being intentional. so tough to follow through sometimes, isn’t it? thank you for joining the adventure with me this month.