“The unthankful heart discovers no mercies… but the thankful heart… will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!” ~ Henry Ward Beecher
It’s been a hard year. I don’t think there’s any way around that.
There have been so many horrific things happening in the world around us. So many crises and epidemics. Tragedy. Abuse. Neglect. Rampant violence, widescale corruption. Moral decay. Acts of terror. Suffering and persecution.
It’s overwhelming.
Even if we don’t happen to be personally, immediately, imminently affected by it. But of course, many of us have been – in one way or another.
Somebody has to be the “somebody else” these things are happening to. And somebody has to be the mother of the soldier fighting overseas or the daughter of the pastor imprisoned for his faith or the sister of the Ebola patient. Somebody you or I know. And maybe that somebody is you.
So many of my friends and family – and their friends and family — have been struggling… financial issues, health issues, relationship issues, work issues, church issues. Many of us battling grief, pain, loss.
So that’s why I’m going to let the “Thanksgiving” theme that’s everywhere in the month of November serve as a reminder to me to refocus, to refresh my spirit and renew my heart and mind. To finish the year strong, by counting my blessings, not my aches and pains, hurts and disappointments, doubts and fears. This is one time where the fact that “everybody’s doing it” (online at least, in special blogging series and Facebook challenges ) is a good thing!
I have a new book deadline (hooray!), so I’m only going to be blogging once a week. But each week, there’ll be a theme and an invitation for you to join me in cultivating an attitude of gratitude – a heart of thanksgiving. A journal prompt, some ideas or suggestions for activities to help you “tune your heart to sing His grace.”
If you sign up to receive these posts by email (top right corner of the page), then you know you won’t miss one!
Here’s a Count Your Blessings Free Printable for the month of November to get you started! The first page is a calendar you can use to jot down 1-3 things you’re thankful for each day. If you need more space, use the undated, lined journal page. Or the journal prompts! There are also four (one for each week) Thanksgiving memory verses you can print out on cardstock to use as bookmarks or tape to your desk, dashboard, or fridge.
I’ll be posting lots and lots of verses, prayers, and quotes on having a thankful heart on my Facebook page www.Facebook.com/ChristinDitchfield and also on www.Twitter.com/AuthorChristin with the hashtag #AThankfulHeart.
I really hope and pray that it will be an encouragement to you — and that it will give you things you can share with your friends and family to encourage them, too. Then if they share with their friends and family and their friends and family… imagine what Jesus could do!
So please do… please share! Let’s take every opportunity to stand together and encourage one another to be thankful and to count our blessings and put our hope where it belongs — in Him.
“Thou hast given so much to me,
Give one thing more – a grateful heart;
Not thankful when it pleaseth me,
As if Thy blessings had spare days,
But such a heart whose pulse may be Thy praise.”
~ George Herbert
