I'm thankful.
No, my life isn't perfect. Far from it.
Despite things I wish I could change, there are still plenty of reasons to be thankful.
And plenty of people to be thankful for.
As we near Thanksgiving, here's something we can all do to be thankful.
Make a list of people who have believed in you, cared for you, invested in you and have loved you unconditionally. Then find a way to tell them thank you. And not just a generic thank you, but a detailed note that explains why you are so thankful for them in your life.
One final suggestion. Do it in a personal way. A phone call, a handwritten letter, etc. Something that shows you took time and didn't opt for the convenience of a text message. If you are super ambitious, try to do one every day until Thanksgiving.
I write these blogs as conversation-starters. Tell me someone you are thankful to have in your life.
Chris Lassiter is a Christ-follower, a husband to Emily (read her blog here), a father to five kids and a freelance writer for Young Life Relationships, HipHopDX.com, JamTheHype.com and other publications. His first book, You're Grounded, was published by Moody Publications last year. You can order the book here.
Friendship, family and food comas. Tis the season.
I remember being in a Bible study where one of the leaders mentioned that Thanksgiving was her favorite holiday. One the students responded with a hilarious question.
"If you're a Christian, doesn't your favorite holiday have to be Christmas?"
Regardless, there's something special about Thanksgiving. So special that I would love to be thankful 365 days a year, not just for one Thursday in November. But being thankful doesn't come easy or naturally.
In fact, here are four things that I will have to overcome to be a consistently thankful person.
- I feel more entitled than thankful. This one is the tough one for me. I would never say this out loud, but in my head and in my heart, I often find the thought, "I deserve ..." This is the biggest barrier to thankfulness in my own heart.
- I focus on things that make me ungrateful. Earlier this year, Young Life sent my wife and I to Bermuda for free. Pretty amazing, right? During my week in Bermuda, I had poison ivy. Poisoned in paradise. At that point, I had two choices. I could be thankful I was in Bermuda with my wife, or I could focus on the little thing that was wrong. So often in life I choose to focus on the little thing that's wrong rather than the big picture of everything that is right.
- I fail to recognize how good I have it. The man who has no shoes feels sorrow for himself ... until he meets the man with no feet. This year, 2013, has been a challenging year for me. As true as that is, my heart breaks for friends and neighbors who have it much worse. I'd be much more thankful if I could keep in mind how much worse things could be.
- I'm not thankful enough that I don't get what I do deserve. If the rest of my world falls apart, I can always be thankful for the cross of Jesus Christ. It was at the cross where Jesus took the punishment that I deserve. He got what I deserve - God's judgment - so that I could get what Jesus deserves - an intimate relationship with my Heavenly Father.
I write these blogs as conversation-starters. I would love to hear what you are thankful for today.
Chris Lassiter is a Christ-follower, a husband to Emily (read her moving blog on forgiveness here),
a father of five and a Young Life leader in his hometown of Staunton, VA. He has written for VIBE, HipHopDX.com, The News Leader, Rapzilla.com, JamTheHype.com and other publications. Moody Publishing recently put out his first book, You're Grounded, which you can purchase here. This blog gets updated twice a week. Please consider following.
