WHAT´S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT BEING THANKFUL?

So what IS the big deal?  Believe it or not, being thankful reveals quite a lot about you...


To be thankful means you can see outside yourself and acknowledge something or someone good - this reflects SELFLESSNESS.
To be thankful sometimes entails VISION to see beyond now into what can be.
To be thankful attests that you KNOW HOW TO HONOR others´ efforts.
To be thankful often requires a certain HUMILITY for what is received. It is not always easy for us to receive.  Being thankful ACKNOWLEDGES OUR OWN NEED.

To be thankful can call for DISCIPLINE. Being thankful for a meal in spite of a terrible day because you choose to be aware of those who don´t have enough shows a discipline of thankfulness.
To be thankful involves CREATIVITY - you may have to experiment to find ways to show appreciation and thankfulness to others in ways which they find meaningful.
To be thankful for difficult relationships demands MATURITY because you realize that you will learn and grow as a person.
To be thankful for good things can be easy - but it still requires an awareness, a remembering, an acknowledging - and that involves INTENTIONALITY on your part.

To be thankful produces JOY, for others are happy when they are thanked and this in turn makes you feel good.
To be thankful when someone doesn´t expect it can produce amazing CHANGE - in you and in the other person.
To be thankful discloses an AWARENESS THAT THERE IS A WHOLE WORLD OF NEED out there - local and global - and statistically, you are without a doubt better off than 2/3 of them!

To be thankful to God necessitates you BELIEVE IN HIM AS A FATHER of good gifts.
To be thankful to God even when you don´t understand life reveals TRUST and FAITH.
To be thankful to God in the midst of terrible pain demands a DEEPLY GROUNDED BELIEF IN HIS LOVE AND GOODNESS.
To be thankful to God in the face of war and crime and terrorism displays a BELIEF IN HIS RULE over His kingdom, unseen things in constant movement and His ultimate victory.

To be thankful to God exhibits your understanding that there is POWER IN GRATITUDE TO CHANGE YOUR OUTLOOK on life.
To be thankful to God means you understand that there is POWER IN EXPRESSING YOUR GRATITUDE to Him...enough power to CHANGE YOUR ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS.
To be thankful to God reveals YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF HIM AS THE GIVER of unspeakable gifts.

To be thankful to God in spite of fear, worry, stress, weakness, mistakes, doubt or you-fill-in-the-blank, manifests a STRENGTH OF FOCUS ON THE ONE who is able and worthy.
To be thankful to God exteriorizes and mobilizes our FAITH.
To be thankful to God showcases our belief that GRATITUDE PAVES THE WAY FOR HEAVENLY BEAUTY AND ACTION.

To be thankful CHANGES US.
To be thankful CHANGES THE WORLD.

So there are some thoughts on why thankfulness IS a big deal this week - and every week.

Thankfulness requires something of us.
Thankfulness reveals a lot about us.
Thankfulness rewards those who practice it.

SO BE THANKFUL.

This ThanksGiving, try ThanksLiving*.



Photo by: kiliki805
*Seen used in a testimony in Our Daily Bread.