Driving over to Walker the other day, I noticed a sign that said, “Are you filled with thanks or just full?”
The quote caught my attention, as I hope it catches your attention as well. Thanksgiving is here and as is often the case, we find ourselves full of turkey without our lives being filled with thankfulness and gratitude.
Being full of thanks is filling our lives up with a thankful spirit, to where our cup runs over; instead of running dry, with a demanding spirit, a dissatisfied spirit, a critical spirit or a resentful spirit.
We discover a secret for a thankful heart and spirit from the apostle Paul, who says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your request to God” (Philippians 4:6).
In other words, practice the act of thankfulness. That’s right, practice. It takes practice on a daily basis and sometimes on a minute-to-minute basis, especially in moments when we are anything but thankful.
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If you find yourself dissatisfied, disgruntled or impatient, or simply complaining about everything when nothing is right, instead of allowing this spirit to continue to infect and influence you and your relationships with others, share it with the Lord instead of taking it out on others.
It’s in this practice of praying that we give God a chance to work in the situation and in our lives, to change our disposition, outlook and attitude to where it makes a difference in our relationship with others, with God and with ourselves.
It is in practicing this prayerful approach to living that we discover a way to cultivate and nourish the spirit of thankfulness in our lives that fills us up with thanks.
There is a song, “Fill My Cup,” that speaks of asking God to fill our lives with the presence of Christ so that we can be full of Christ’s spirit, from which comes the spirit of thankfulness.
To the end, that as we are blessed by God, so we, too, can be a blessing to others more and more. A blessed Thanksgiving to you.
