I sat down to write a post for Thanksgiving and found myself struggling to find words. There are so many distractions in our world. Some would even go so far as to say, there’s not much to be thankful for. But being the innate encourager that I am, I couldn’t allow cynicism to defeat me. So, I did what I often do when I can’t find words or the world becomes hard, I took a walk.

The morning was wrapped in a light fog and the air had that perfect nip, best faced in a warm hat and pair of gloves. As I left my house, the streets were quiet. Neighbors were still sipping coffee as their children shook the remnants of sleep from their eyes. The walking path was empty, an open space to walk and think. Just what a wordless writer needed.

The pathway crosses several streets and then makes a sharp turn between an almond orchard and open fields. And as I made the turn, I walked directly into the rising sun. It was working its way through the clouds and caught me by surprise. I hadn’t been paying attention. And at the moment we collided, a single word came to mind, grateful.

I have to confess that gratefulness is not one of those words I focus on. I am thankful for much but grateful – umm, I’m not sure. 

If you’re like me and need a reminder of the difference between the two words, consider this clarification by Tim Keller, 

“It’s one thing to be grateful. It’s another to give thanks. Gratitude is what you feel. Thanksgiving is what you do.”

So, gratefulness is what we think, believe, and understand. It makes up our perspective, while thankfulness shows up in our actions. Thankfulness is how we show our appreciation, the hands and feet to our gratefulness. Perhaps that’s where my dilemma lies, I can get lost in the doing for others but to carry a heart of gratitude requires me to put aside my doing and instead look inside and assess my motivations. Motives that are often self–serving and quite entrenched in wanting my way.

But what if there was a way to gently shift our minds and hearts from merely doing to a posture of grateful-being? I wonder what would life look like from that vantage point. I wonder if it would change how we navigate the twists and turns that make up our every day.

I kept walking as the sun rose above the bank of clouds. And as I made the final turn that would take me home, a second word popped into my mind, surrender. 

Surrender is one of those words that makes me want to walk (well actually run) in the opposite direction. But I hope you can see how a heart of submission is the key ingredient to living a life of gratitude. 

Surrender helps us let go of our obsession with what we do or what we have and centers us on recognizing that life and all we have, our experiences, and even the trials, are all gifts. Gifts that help to mature us and shift the focus from self-importance to other-focused, Jesus-focused, transformed. And it is at that place, where the challenges of this world and our circumstances take on a different appearance. Our hearts are changed and our doing (our thankfulness) becomes more than mere words or deeds but an outcome of recognizing we are loved far more than we deserve. 

So, this Thanksgiving, I pray that you will spend a little time thinking about what you are grateful for. And perhaps you can take a look at your heart, what motivates you, what drives your attitudes and behaviors, and ask yourself, is there anything I need to surrender?

And as you reflect, please remember, that you are a precious daughter, God’s BeLOVED.

I hope you and your family have a blessed Thanksgiving,

Allison