7 Aspects of a Thankful Heart

This morning I am starting to get super excited about Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving. I love spending time with family, love cooking, and I certainly don't mind eating. But it's more than that. I love the idea of celebrating Thankfulness. I love the idea of throwing a party to celebrate all that we have to be thankful for. So I was contemplating over my cup of coffee (with white chocolate mocha creamer, which is to die for) about what a thankful heart looks like. A thankful heart doesn't just post something they're thankful for every day (though I definitely think it's a cool idea and I'm not bashing it at all). A thankful heart lives every moment being thankful. When you really think about it, how thankful are you? How much time to you spend enjoying the things you have, appreciating the people around you, and how much time do you spend wanting things or wanting to be somewhere else? We're all guilty of losing sight of all that we have to be thankful for but I thought, you know, in the spirit of Thanksgiving and all, that I would write a list of what a thankful heart looks like. So, blare the trumpets because here it is!

What a thankful heart looks like:

1. A thankful heart is kind. To loved ones. To people they don't like. To strangers (like Chick-fil-A employees, for example). A thankful heart is a happy heart, and that joy spills over onto others. 

2. A thankful heart doesn't complain. Boom. I said it. When you're thankful for something, you're appreciating the value in something. The opposite of being thankful is complaining. When you complain, you're stating the negatives, ignoring the positives. You're dragging everyone around you into a pit of thanklessness. 

3. A thankful heart doesn't waste. Doesn't waste things, doesn't waste time, doesn't waste relationships. So often people throw away what they care about because they're not using it like they could. How often do we spend time with loved arguing over menial things? Thankfulness means making the most of what you have and enjoying it. 

4. A thankful heart tells others. Seems kind of obvious, right? That's what the Facebook Thankfulness Challenge is for, right? But how often in life are your motives misinterpreted or questioned, when you thought the reason was obvious? Sometimes assuming others know how much you care about them is just not enough. Say thank you for the small things, yes, but also for the big things. Pull someone aside and tell them how thankful you are for everything you do. It feels awesome to be thanked, and usually it makes you want to do even more! Share the love!

5. A thankful person is patient. When you see the value in a moment, you don't sit waiting for it to go by. Similarly, when you see the value in something that you really want, you're willing to wait for it. To all of my friends with ring fever, a thankful girlfriend enjoys dating, and sees the value in dating. Impatience is a sign of thanklessness.

6. A thankful person shares. Cookies, money, time. A thankful person appreciates everything they have and understands how valuable it is - they see the value that others could see in it. When you're thankful for your jacket and you see someone without a jacket, you want to help.

And finally,

7. A thankful person gives the glory to God. A thankful person recognizes that nothing they have is of their own accord. They recognize that without the strength and resources that have been provided for them, they wouldn't have anything. And, most importantly, when you fully understand and are thankful for the salvation and redemption that we have received in Christ, you will give all glory to God.

Now, in all honesty, this list is more for me than for you. I might do just one of the things on this list on a good day. We all like to think that we're thankful, but when we look at our actions, we learn otherwise. I challenge you (and myself) to live a life of thankfulness. Don't just post about something you're thankful for once a day. Don't just spend one day celebrating food. Try to incorporate thankfulness into an everyday part of your life, and your life might just change forever.