The Harvest is done and it is time to shift gears.  Seventeen days until Thanksgiving!  I know, just breathe—it’s gonna be both okay and good.  Today I want to talk about how to cultivate gratitude in the middle of the secular holiday frenzy. I’ve also put together an outline, journal for a “14-day gratitude challenge,” to help you hit the “re-set” button.

Every year the holidays are exploited a little more than the year before.  It’s sad, really, because the whole point of the holiday is to remember and give thanks—and not just a flippant thanks, but a whole-hearted offering of thanks.

 

Preparing your heart for Thanksgiving is, in my opinion, more important than preparing the food for the celebration.  In the middle of all the commercial hype pointing toward food, parties, football, and Black Friday shopping, it can feel overwhelming.

 

Ever since we moved down here from Canada, I have struggled at this time of year.  The merging of all the holidays feels overwhelming to me.  I never feel like I’ve had enough time to get my soul ready.

 

I had an epiphany about a week ago, as I was thinking about all this.  I love big noisy celebrations, surrounded by people I love, but I cannot just turn it on.  When it comes to the holidays I need to take a more contemplative approach.  Low and slow, with ample time for soaking and processing.

 

So that’s what this post is all about: How to cultivate gratitude in the middle of all the holiday crazy!

First things first

 

The first thing you need to do is just push it all back and breathe.  Yes, I’m sure you have a lot on your plate, but you do not need to bust through these next few weeks on auto-pilot.  It’s time to hit the “re-set” button and take your moments back.

 

I spent years trying to control the calendar, because I believed that if I could streamline a coordinate everything better, it would allow me to enjoy everything.  Here’s the thing, Thanksgiving isn’t about family, food, or football.  Yeah, I know I’m sure I just hit a nerve.  Stay with me…

 

Thanksgiving is an offering to the LORD, for His provision.  The rest of it—family, food, football—is icing on the cake; all the extras!  I’m not saying that family, food, and football can’t be a part of the celebration, but the heart needs to be anchored in the right place. When all the “extras” becomes the central focus, there is miss-alignment.

 

So, it is time to put first things first.  Remember what the holiday is all about and purpose to intentionally cultivate gratitude, starting now.

 

But, wait a minute, I am thankful.

 

I do not mean, in any way, to imply that you are not thankful, but you need to understand that Thanksgiving is a powerful pathway into the Presence of God.  Gratitude has a way of breaking through the strongest of walls and leading into the place of abundance.  Trust me; you don’t want to settle when there is more.

 

 

Present in the moment

 

In order to cultivate gratitude you need to be present in all your moments.  This is hard work, I know, but it’s gonna be worth it.

 

A classic tactical strategy of the enemy is to distract you by keeping your mind busy.  This happens when you buy into the lie that you must focus on the tasks and needs of others before you tend your soul.  This happens a lot when we move into holiday mode.

 

Do yourself a favor, right now, and just tell all the noise to shut up.  Go ahead, turn off the perpetual to-do list and countdown clicker, breathe in, and greet the moment.  What is your heart saying?  Let it speak…

 

 

It’s not so easy is it?

 

 

Listen, my friend, you may have to fight for this, but don’t back down.  You want to cultivate gratitude because it sweetens the pot.  Thanksgiving helps align the soul better than anything else I know, but you can’t be flippant about it.

 

Life is a gift and every moment adds up to the whole.  Learn to savor the present because it is the vehicle for what is yet to come.

 

When you operate on autopilot you are affectively checking out. The journey is not something to be endured, it is every much, a part of the event. Don’t forfeit your gift. Ask Holy Spirit to help you become more aware of what you feel as you walk it through.

 

 

 

 

Being Intentional

 

In order to cultivate gratitude, you need to be intentional.  Like everything else in life, it takes practice.  Yep, you read that right—practice.

 

“In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18

 

What does that look like?  Think about it for minute.  The scripture says, “In everything give thanks…”  Do you do that?

 

Everything means the good and the hard.  Gulp

 

Man, that’s a tough precept to obey.

 

This is why you have to cultivate gratitude, because it doesn’t just come.  When you intentionally practice giving thanks the exercise becomes easier.  Please don’t miss understand, because there are somethings that will never be easy to give thanks for, but when the heart is aligned and anchored you won’t have to work as hard for it.

 

During this month and season you will undoubtedly see and maybe even participate in social media challenges declaring what you are thankful for.  I’ve done these in the past and they are really helpful in helping to re-set the heart, but I want to challenge you to you take it one step further.  Why are you thankful for this moment?

 

 

 

Digging Deeper

 

As you cultivate gratitude you have to dig deeper.  Cursory gratitude is cheap and insincere.  This is not the offering you want to bring to the Father—ever.

 

“Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For his loving kindness is everlasting.”  Psalm 118:1

 

What about this moment are you thankful for?  Maybe it’s been a tough moment and you find it hard to be thankful.  That’s okay.

But wait, the scripture says in everything give thanks…

 

Be brave, my friend, because this is the way of breakthrough.  Sometimes yucky things happen and you will not be thankful.  When this happens you need to redirect your eyes and your heart.  You live in an imperfect world where brokenness will touch you and it will suck.

 

The good news is that God is still good.  Let the “yuck” drive you into his arms instead of away from him.  The presence of the LORD is the best place to be, because that’s where you have direct access to Him.

 

Every moment is a gift, so take it and offer pure gratitude, because thanksgiving helps to keep everything positioned perfectly. Let me illustrate: I love my family, but if don’t I remember to offer thanksgiving for them, they can quickly become an idol.

 

When I look at what I’m thankful for and acknowledge why I’m thankful it helps to strain out attitudes of entitlement, pride, and idolatry.  Listen, I know those are ugly words, but sometimes these are the very roots that keep us bound.

 

Don’t be afraid to go there with the LORD, because He isn’t about shaming.  The LORD wants you to know his loving-kindness and to enjoy the gift of freedom.  So don’t buy the lies!  Trust him and cultivate gratitude in your heart.

 

 

 

 

Tending the heart

 

So how are you doing?  I know sometimes these things can feel like more work.  It’s frustrating when you feel like you are doing everything right, but still coming up way short.  Don’t give up, you can do this.

 

You need to know that it’s okay to tend your heart. How long has it been since you last did this?  What is your heart trying to tell you?

 

Tending the heart is one of the most neglected of tasks. When you quit listening or responding to what is going on in there you will get tied up in knots.

 

You cannot push your heart away and expect to enjoy or savor the gifts at hand, because your heart is required for that very function. You have to tune your heart to the LORD’s.

 

This is why you cultivate gratitude and not just for the big things, but for the little things and everything in between.  Gratitude will usher you immediately into the presence of the Father and that’s where you find access to healing, restoration, renewal, and peace.

 

Take the time to tend your heart. When you do this first, it will set everything else in right order.  As you greet your moments, hold your gifts, and acknowledge the disappointments, offer them with thanksgiving to the LORD and let him bring order and clarity.

 

The plans and details of walking life out will make more sense through the lens of gratitude. When your heart is in tune with the Father, it’s much easier to hear his voice as he directs your steps.

 

His way is perfect and He can be trusted—even with all the details leading up to holiday celebrations.

 

 

 

 

How to cultivate gratitude

 

You can begin to do this any time.  We have a little over two weeks before Thanksgiving is upon us, but just as quickly as one holiday comes the next is on the way.  The reality is, this is not just about prepping for the holiday, it’s about responding to the invitation of the Father to just come.

 

I have created a two-week gratitude challenge, to help get you started!  I’ve put together an outline and journal for you to download, which will serve as a loose framework as you press in.  The objective is simply to give you a helpful tool for digging deeper with gratitude as you pursue the LORD.

 

 

This little discipline is designed to help you step in and find your way into the more that the LORD promises.  Learning to enjoy the gifts of the journey instead of lamenting the time it takes for the promise to be fulfilled is a gift unto itself.

 

Begin by mapping out the way.  Make an appointment with the LORD every day before you go to bed.

 

Don’t just tack this on as you climb into bed, but instead, give yourself at least 15 minutes to think, process, and pray.  This is not unrealistic, but it will require an intentionally commitment.

 

Really, what I’m talking about here is the spiritual disciple of Examen.  Examen is a spiritual exercise that is helpful on so many levels, but it is really useful in the process of developing a grateful heart.

 

You can also do this as a family—fold it into your supper routine— that could be really cool.  Just as you need to do this for you, it is also important to model and teach how to cultivate gratitude in our families or living communities.