#16: Post-Thanksgiving Gratefulness

I can’t believe Thanksgiving is already over… Black Friday(Black Thursday?) came and went, and now it’s already the weekend. There was no Wednesday post from me this week as it has been a very busy time. Those of you who keep tabs on me with Instagram will know that it was my husband’s birthday on Wednesday and I had been taking time to plan for that. Then of course Thanksgiving the very next day and all that amazing food and family time…. well, you understand.


While the holiday of Thanksgiving is indeed over, the feeling of utter gratefulness remains with me now and always. I believe that everyday, every single moment, should be a celebration of Thanksgiving for all that we are blessed with in this life.

There are so many innumerable things that I am thankful for. A single day will never do all that justice, rather an entire lifetime of being grateful is what I strive to live. God has blessed me with a roof over my head, food in my stomach, and my salvation. Truly, anything on top of that is bonus. Let me tell you, I have a lot of bonus. I think I can safely say that all of you reading this have a lot of bonus.

Even if I had none of my bonuses, no roof over my head, nor food in my stomach, but if I knew that when I died, I’m going to heaven to be with Jesus and my father for the rest of eternity, my spirit would be at peace. Granted, that’s a lot easier said than done. In all honesty, even with all of my ridiculously large amount of bonuses and comforts, I can become ungrateful and discontented at times.

That’s why I need to spend this time as I’m writing to you as well as time every day to reflect on all that I have to be thankful for. I’ve discovered that when I do that, I tend to become more content. I know that I can feel content and I should, because I have far more than I ever deserve. Christ made sure of that when he went to the cross for you and I.

In light of what Jesus did for me, I am thankful for every breath of life I have on this earth. None of what I have or have accomplished is because of me, so I have nothing to boast about. But I have EVERYTHING to be grateful about.

It’s all been a gift.

With all this in mind, I must say that through this spirit of thankfulness, I have developed a much better attitude towards my day job. I don’t go in everyday with clouds above my head and complaints in my mouth. God has helped me to begin seeing the good in my situation, to learn, and to continuously be the best employee that I can be during my time there.

Obviously when I wanted to leave wasn’t the time, so I’m going to make the best of my situation until that exit door opens. And let me tell you, once I began looking at my job as a gift and asking God to change me instead of change my situation - everything changed.

I am no longer stressed. I don’t freak out when something doesn’t go how I want it to go or someone shows me negativity. By the grace of God, I now have a smile on my face and a prayer of Thanksgiving every morning as I drive to work.

By no means am I perfect. I have my… less than stellar moments. But those are so few and far between, they’re no longer the norm.

Through these past couple of years, what I’ve discovered is this:

Thankfulness leads to contentedness.

Try to remember to be thankful to God every day, and no matter what your situation is, I guarantee you will find a sense of peace and contentment that nothing can describe.


Saturday’s Scripture

“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” - Colossians 3:15-17

“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:18

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” - James 1:17