Be Thankful - Beware of the Thankfulness Thieves

Yes, I know Thanksgiving is just a few days away and so of course we tend to think  about being thankful this time of year, but being thankful is more than just something we think about in November; it should characterize our lives every day! In I Thessalonians 5 we read:

"16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."

These verses are talking about a heart attitude; not just a focus for November each year. So, what are those attitudes which damage or diminish this heart attitude in us; and in our grandchildren? Consider the following . . . 

• An attitude of worry.
• Allowing stress and/or being busy - or too busy - to steal our focus away from God's many blessings and putting it onto work to be done, things which are challenging and people who may frustrate us.
• It may sound odd, but just not being thankful.

There are more, but these three attitudes are definitely some of the "thankfulness thieves  which will absolutely destroy and diminish thankfulness. If we worry about things, we will not be thankful for, or often even notice, God's many blessings. If we are always focusing on what we need to do we will not even notice God's many blessings. If we just are not thankful for these many blessings, we clearly will not have a heart of thankfulness which, "gives thanks in all circumstances."

Along with choosing to not let any "thankfulness thief" steal our own thankfulness, we need to help our grandchildren learn to be people who make the same choice. If we want our grandchildren to be people who are thankful, we need to model this to them; and this includes being a person who does not let anything steal our thankfulness!

Take some time to today to consider if you recognize anything which "steals" your thankfulness.