I stepped into the Target Dollar Spot…you know the place…you step into the tiny little aisle “just to see” what’s there and walk away with $35 worth of nonsense in your cart.
But this last time I found something really worth the couple of bucks. A gratitude tree. A chipboard tree with multi-color paper leaves. The tree holds words of our thanksgiving, and I just love that it will decorate our table this year for Thanksgiving.
Several years ago I read Ann Voskamp’s book, 1,000 Gifts and started the habit of writing down all the things I was grateful for.
Giving thanks for everything in my life, even the things I didn’t like, because I realized I didn’t know what God was doing behind the scenes with even the ugly parts of my life. It changed my life!
I learned if my soul was rooted in gratitude the fruit of my life was much sweeter. I was tired of being “sour” in my faith. I needed a heart change, and gratitude did that.
[bctt tweet=”If my soul is rooted in gratitude the fruit of my life is sweet. ” username=”nataliadrumm”]
I’m sure I could make this blog post about 3 or 5 things gratitude did in my heart and how you can too, but the truth is, I just want you to hear God’s words and how they change our souls.
Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth
Worship the Lord with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
know that the Lord is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his.
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
Psalm 100 (NIV)
It can be easy to “feel” grateful on Thanksgiving as we sit around a table and snap a beautiful photo.
Yet the truth is for many of us most days are hard. And hard days can sometimes make hard hearts. But we can counteract the hardness with gratitude.
Even in the hard days, we “get to” live the day. We get the privilege of having another day and another chance to give Him praise.
On the days when your heart doesn’t feel like giving thanks, and trust me, I have plenty of those days, look back to David’s words in this psalm. “We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.”
If nothing in your day to day evokes your heart to praise, remember you are His.
His child.
The King of creation calls you His.
That alone is reason for gratitude.
So today, if you’ve never done it, take out a piece of paper and pen, and write down everything in your world today to give thanks for. Just beware, once you start giving thanks….it will be hard to stop 🙂
Here’s the start to my list this year of my Top 10:
1- Jesus lets me do ministry.
2- My marriage is stronger this year than last year.
3- My oldest son found his groove in school.
4- My boys love learning about Jesus.
5- Our family is celebrating another Thanksgiving around the table together.
6- My parents are still strong and healthy.
7- Friendships have blossomed over the last year.
8- New babies have joined our tribe of friends.
9- We spent the year making memories rather than buying stuff.
10- God faithfully provided our needs as each big need arose.
11- I get to watch women learn and grow in Jesus.
…….
Happy Thanksgiving Friends! 
Want to dive into more on the topic of gratitude? Check out the Girlfriends in the Word study on Gratitude.