It’s Thanksgiving. How do you feel? Are you finding love, joy, peace, and kindness?
To be honest, I struggle. It’s much easier for me to be UNThankful rather than Thankful.
As a matter of fact, let’s play a little bit with that.
If I were striving to be UnThankful, what would that look like? What list could guide me in being unthankful?
How about this:
How To Be UnThankful:
- Keep a junk journal. Yes, we’ve all heard of “Joy Journals,” but this is different. A “Junk Journal” would allow me to harbor all my pet peeves and “botherings” in one place. Yes! Then I could keep a record of wrongs to go back and review when I unintentionally started to like people again.
- Use ugly words whenever I can. Negativity rules our airwaves and conversations nowadays so this one would be easy.
- Be constantly distracted. I would start one thing, not finish it, and “Squirrel!” (Hm, did I finish that last sentence?)
- Focus on me when I pray. God already knows how great He is. To be the best little unthankful Jesus-follower, all I’d focus on is myself in prayer. I can do that.
- Let my health deteriorate. Healthy people work too hard to stay that way. If I gain that extra nineteen pounds, then I can unthankfully blame my lack of discipline on the food processors, salt, sugar, and “my family is big-boned.”
Unfortunately, that list came all too easy for me this thanksgiving. With the world seemingly spinning out of control, unthankfulness is easy to come by.
But I’m bigger than that. God’s bigger than that. This Thanksgiving, I’m not going to let junk, ugliness, distraction, selfishness, and deterioration squelch my joy. In all things, there is goodness and grace.
This thanksgiving, I choose to be thankful and walk in light rather than darkness.
Click Here to download questions to ask around your thanksgiving table.
Peace!
Todd Stocker 