Thankfulness by Selena Day

Thankfulness has been a life lesson on my heart for the past few years. It has become the thread in the tapestry of lessons Papa God has taught me. There are seasons in my life when I feel the need to keep a gratitude journal; a tangible book of remembrance for me to direct my focus on what God is doing. Thankfulness has become a way of life in the Day home. 

Let me stop for a moment and share with you a truth I believe. I believe that God is talking ALL the time; I mean He likes to talk more than anyone I know. I believe that He talks to everyone and not just to Christians. I know; take a deep breath as this may shock some of you. As Life Coaches, Chuck and I share the knowledge and wisdom Christ has given us with many young people and do not just keep that wisdom for our own children, but our children know our hearts, so they know deeper secrets into the life lessons from the Day kingdom. They know they have our hearts so they don’t have to repeatedly ask us for permission to come to our table and ask questions; they just know that it is their table as well. People come to Chuck all the time asking advice about writing and becoming an artist, but it has only been our children Chuck ever paid lessons for and bought equipment to further their artistic drive. I believe that we as God’s children have an advantage, that by being in relationship with the Creator of the universe, we have access to keys that unlock truths that the rest of the world grapples with. 

Jeremiah 33:3 says, “Call to Me, and I will answer you. I will tell you of great things, things beyond what you can imagine, things you could never have known.”

I personally believe that for centuries God in His word has taught us, His children, to have a grateful heart and now medical research is proving that being thankful actually promotes positive health.  

I believe that having a thankful heart keeps us as believers looking to the external in our lives, but at the same time helps us have a healthy view of our internal thoughts, which science is starting to prove is beneficial to living a healthy life. 

I love Thanksgiving!  For me the Christmas season begins right after Hallowe’en. Yes, I am that person, I begin to decorate our house in early November as it takes a lot of work getting that stuff up so I spread it out. During these weeks leading up to the time we celebrate our Savior’s birth, my heart and mind is meditating on the goodness of all that God has done in our lives. Thanksgiving becomes this day that is more than just a day of remembrance, it is a sabbath moment; a day that we take as a reminder to celebrate all the good that the Savior has done, is doing, and will do in our lives. For me it is a day that we choose to stop the busyness of life and gather with our loved ones and say, “I am so grateful to belong to the kingdom of God.”

This article is not about remembering to have a heart of gratitude all year and not just once a year, though I would like to challenge you with this thought. Just as we take this moment once a year and feel grateful, try to set aside a few moments of holiday in your daily life everyday and feel grateful. There is more to it than just saying thanks. It’s about taking a quiet sabbatical and remembering your day and feeling the gratitude for all the good that goes on around you. 

Chuck and I sometimes play this game when we can feel our hearts growing heavy.  We will ask each other: “Tell me something positive? Or tell me something you are thankful for?”  We call it: The Thankful Game.  I believe that when you take a moment and stop from the busyness of life and feel gratitude, you start to build memorials of God’s goodness in your heart and mind that open doors to more of His blessings. 

So this season however your family and friends celebrate, stop and be thankful that we have a national holiday where we can take a day off to remember the goodness around us. Also, remember every day to make your own little holiday within yourself, to memorialize God’s goodness in your life.  

It is amazing when you filter your life through thankfulness. You will start to see the people and circumstances around you in a positive way and you will also start to feel differently about yourself and your life.

Happy Thanksgiving From the Days!

By Selena Day. Find Selena Day on Facebook here.

First published by SGNScoops magazine in November 2015.

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