Being thankful doesn’t come natural for me.  I know you are probably thinking that you know of somebody that is a really thankful person, but I can guarantee you that when they’ve been kept awake for 18 hours at a time they will even struggle to be thankful.  Everyone has times that they forget to be thankful for everything around them.

I have seasons of life where I’m aware of God’s goodness, and his hand of favor on my life.  However… even in those seasons I can be easily distracted by someone that cuts me off in traffic, or the temperature of the room I’m in at the moment, or the sound of somebody else’s music when I’m working.

Image Source: Someecards

The point is that being thankful is not always my natural reaction.  I’m not saying that I’m not thankful or grateful for those around me.  I would consider myself more thankful than most (please excuse my ascent up Pride Mountain.)  As a father I demand thankfulness out of my own children.  However, even if thankfulness isn’t natural; it should be my reaction.

Being thankful is good for us both physically and spiritually, but it takes time.  Being thankful takes time. To be intentionally thankful, I have to make the time to be that way.  It involves me making the time and space to see what I should be thankful for.  It means I have to learn to  see things through grateful eyes, and not exasperated or tired eyes.

This holiday season as we are encouraged through sermons, websites, television shows, and parades on tv all to be thankful, lets make sure that we are taking the time to be thankful first.

Make the time, take the time, create the time, and most of all enjoy the time you have to be thankful.

1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! 2 Let Israel say, His steadfast love endures forever.3 Let the house of Aaron say, His steadfast love endures forever. 4 Let those who fear the Lord say, His steadfast love endures forever.  Psalm 118:1-4