Thankful on Thursday

Are you generally a thankful person?

Are you truly thankful for what you have? For what you don't have?

For your circumstances and the people in your life?

Are you thankful for the blessings God has graciously given you and the things God has thoughtfully taken from you?

I feel The Lord continually asking me this, and after sitting in thought and in prayer over these questions, my answer to these questions is no. 

I am not generally a thankful person. 

Thankfulness does not come naturally to me. 

In fact, often times, I am an expect-ful person.

{Yes, I just made that word up.}

By being an expect-ful person, I simply mean this: I expect things. I expect things from every situation, from every person, and  from God. 

Let me give you an example.

Thomas and I are very different and we have very different ideas on what the meaning of clean is.

Thomas is content with things being picked up.

Whereas I look around and see specks of dust on the baseboards and crumbs on the floor and instantly, I spin into a whirlwind of panic and frustration at how incredibly dirty our home is.

Instead of being thankful that Thomas just cleaned the dishes, put them away and picked up the downstairs, I focus on everything else that needs to be done- and I get upset.

I expect his meaning of clean to be my meaning of clean. I expect him to see what I see. I expect him to take the same cleaning approach that I do.

And, by doing that, I completely strip myself {and him} of all feelings of thankfulness for what he actually did do.

I know that was just a tiny example of the kind of expect-ful person I am, but just know that I {embarrassingly} do this with almost everything and everyone, in almost every circumstance and situation.

What a B, right? {just keeping it real}

It's ridiculous and crazy, unfair and unloving. 

Not to mention, un-thankful.

Like I mentioned earlier, The Lord has really been stirring this up inside of me. 

He is showing me that this is a direct reflection of my heart {whoa} and that He does not want this attitude and outlook from me.

He does not want this example to be portrayed by one of His own.

He is showing me there is SO MUCH to be thankful for and I am wasting too much time, energy, and emotion being expect-ful.

He is showing me that being expect-ful is robbing me of the joy He has for me. 

The bible says a lot about being thankful.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. {Colossians 3:15}

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. {Colossians 4:2}

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe... {Hebrews 12:28}

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. {1 Thessalonians 5:18}

I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. {Ephesians 1:16}

God wants us to be thankful.
I want to be thankful.

Since the November is traditionally the month where everyone is reminded of thankfulness {Thank you Thanksgiving} I thought this month would be the perfect time to really dig deep, work on my heart and share with you the things I am thankful for.

I will be sharing these things every Thursday this month, beginning today {even though we're one day short of November}

I encourage you to do the same thing! 
Grab a pen and a notebook and ask God to reveal to you the things you should be thankful for. There are so many little things we overlook in the busyness of everyday that God will be faithful to show you if you just ask Him.

Thankful on Thursday

• My marriage. Even through the lowest lows, my marriage to Thomas is an incredible blessing.
• I woke up early this morning to spend time in the Word - something I rarely do. I was so blessed by it, and you know what? My eyes are open to things I normally would not see and my day is so much smoother than most of my days because I did this. God is so good!
•  Kennedy got up this morning with the most joyous spirit and I got to enjoy it. She was so giddy that our dog woke her up and that she got to wear her jammies to school. I am thankful I got to see her smile and hear her belly laugh.
• Right before I walked out the door to take the kids to school, I noticed dirt under McKynlie's fingernails. I took her into the bathroom and washed her hands thoroughly for her, and I noticed just how tiny her hands are compared to mine. It made me realize how small and innocent she still is. I am thankful for her innocence. I noticed her look at me while I washed her hands, and she started to sing to me. It was the sweetest.
• Sometimes Lincoln wants only me. I love it. 
• the new recipe for Chicken Chili I am about to stick in the crock pot for a perfect Fall dinner before Trick-Or-Treating tonight. 
• I am always thankful for hot, fresh coffee. 
• for my laundry that is piled at my feet- I normally loathe it, but today I am thankful for it. It means we have clothes to wear and we are blessed by that. 
• For this blog. I am thankful for the times I get to openly spill my heart out, for the times I get to be real and honest. I am thankful for what The Lord is stirring up in me with it. 
• I am thankful for Wednesday night service at our Church. My work schedule doesn't allow us to make it to Sunday morning Service, so I am so thankful for this. I love that it is a smaller, more intimate service!
• The few bits of quiet time I get throughout my day. Like right now- Lincoln just fell asleep in his swing.
• I am thankful for encouraging bible verses like Romans 8:28 {And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose} which gives me hope in my current circumstances. 
• I am thankful for my current circumstances, because I know through these trials, God is building me up and preparing me for His good and perfect will. 
• I am thankful for the cross. For God's unfailing love and mercy. I am thankful for God's patience with me when I am too hard-headed and stubborn. I am thankful for His gentle hand guiding me and his sweet voice speaking Truth to me every single day.   

Thank You for reading along as I share my heart. I am finding that praying about being thankful is opening my eyes to what God is doing in my heart and life. It is opening my eyes to what I would have otherwise missed, and I am finding that writing out what I am thankful for, even if it is just a few things, makes it much more real. 

I hope it does for you, too.