Cultivating Thankfulness

Let the peace of Christ keep you in tune with each other, in step with each other. None of this going off and doing your own thing.

And cultivate thankfulness.

Let the Word of Christ—the Message—have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives. Instruct and direct one another using good common sense.

And sing, sing your hearts out to God! Let every detail in your lives—words, actions, whatever—be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way.

Colossians 3: 15-17

When I read this passage, I hear my Grandma Slattery’s voice. She was a mid-western farm girl who married a boilermaker and raised a family on a modest income while tucking away all she could for a rainy day.

She knew how to cultivate thankfulness. She knew the value of sticking close to – and standing up for – those she loved. She knew the importance of spending time with her Bible. She knew common sense and encouraged all of us to use it liberally! And while I don’t remember her singing with her voice, I do remember her singing with her actions – caring for her family with hot meals each day, loving her three kids, and keeping a home that welcomed my Grandpa home each evening. And she did all of these simple acts of love with her most beautiful accessory – her smile.

I am confident that she smiled because this farm girl knew how to cultivate thankfulness. Cultivation takes time and patience. It requires the hard ground to be plowed and prepared. It requires planting, watering, and tending to those little seeds so they can grow to maturity. Her life had more than its fair share of heartache and difficulty but she smiled because it also had more than its fair share of God’s grace. And she knew it! She nurtured thankfulness.

As we prepare for Thanksgiving Day, I am trying to be more purposeful about cultivating thankfulness in my own life. I am giving the Word run of the house! I am using common sense and finding joy in the simple things. And I am going to sing my way through the practicalities of daily life, knowing that despite what I may see, my Father has it all well in hand. Would you like to join me? It just might shed a new light on the busy-ness of the season and allow us to more readily hear our loving Father whisper…

You are adored.