A Time for Giving Thanks

Several years ago, as I lay praying one night before bed, I battled negative thoughts. Somehow, in God’s grace, I thought to begin thanking God for blessings. I listed family and our home, I mentioned all the things God had done for me, the ways He was meeting me in my dreams. As I listed the ideas, I saw how God’s heart had been so tied to my own. How He had heard my pleas, and how He met me in my hopefulness—my place of dreams. God is personal. He knew what I had been dreaming for, what I had been hoping for.

The practice of thankfulness lifted my heart that night. Joy flooded me. The barrage of negative thoughts was cut off—outgunned by the joy which followed my thankfulness.

This time of year we specifically focus on that for which we’re thankful. Thankfulness can be a tool for our freedom. And we can use this strategy at any time. The psalmists often referred back to what God had done for His people. They understood the practice of reminding themselves what God had done. Thankfulness is a surefire path to encouragement.

May this season of Thanksgiving bring joy to your life as you focus on what God has done and is doing in your life.