Have You Made Your List Yet?

No, I am not talking about your Christmas list. (Aren’t you relieved)? I am referring to your “Thanksgiving List.” More and more every year our culture goes straight from Halloween to Christmas. Understandably for those with long shopping lists for children, friends and family, we need the extra few weeks to get all the bargains; yet it also provides the answers for why many of us experience less joy around the holidays and more stress.
The holiday of Thanksgiving was never meant to be celebrated for just a day, and it’s not all about the turkey, either. The first Thanksgiving was an extended time of fellowship and growth. A season of learning, changing, and sharing the gifts God gave you with others, to enhance their lives.
All of these are things I long to cultivate in my own life and in the lives of my husband and children. The problem is that they are not created out of a day of overeating sweet potato soufflé and pumpkin pie.
The characteristics we long for, especially during the holidays are cultivated out of a constant awareness and appreciation for the blessings in our lives. Blessings that cannot be tallied during a mealtime discussion.
A “Thanksgiving List” is much like a “Christmas List” created by children. It may start small, but rest assured it will be longer than you can imagine before you know it. It also changes when you share it with friends and family who would be happy to sit down and help you add to it. And how about the question of when you should start that Christmas list? Ask any one of my three children and they will tell you, “the sooner the better, so I don’t forget anything.”
Creating a season of Thanksgiving in your home is sure to alter your perspective on the holiday season. Whatever our current situations in life, we all have something to be thankful for. Not enough money in your pocket today? Take a trip down to the homeless shelter and add being thankful for a roof over your head to your list. Feeling a little run down from a cold? Watch a commercial for St. Jude and add thankfulness for good health to your list.
Unsure of what you really do have to be thankful for this holiday season? Here’s one to add to your list. No matter your current situation God has great plans for you; “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 Add future blessings to your list.

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