30 Days of Thankfulness...On a Journey to Cultivating a Grateful Heart

Coming into the month of November, I wanted to take time out to meditate on something I can be grateful for each day.  In a spinning world of to-do lists, text messages, facebook posts, emails, and so much more, the busyness can so easily crowd out a grateful heart.  In the end, I think it may have proved to be more challenging than I anticipated.  Going into the month I thought, “I have so much to be thankful for!  It shouldn’t be hard to think of something different each day!”  Some days that was true, & I found myself trying to choose what I would write about as I could name several things in that day.  But there were some challenges & difficulties over the course of this month that led to days that ended in feeling tired, drained, sad, angry or frustrated.  There were evenings that I was tempted to just write about something simple & tangible (which would have still be something I was honestly thankful for), but I wanted to go deeper.  I wanted be honest with myself, with the Lord and with others.  What are the intangible things that I can still be thankful for & still cling to, even when life is hard or things are not going ‘my way’?

I hope you will enjoy taking the journey with me into these 30 Days of Thankfulness, & consider accepting the challenge each day to stop & be still & take steps towards cultivating a grateful heart.

November 30

What a journey these 30 days have been!  I'm grateful for this life, the ups & downs, the blessings, the challenges.  I'm grateful that God is sovereign over my life & all things in this life.  And yet, as I consider the many challenges & hardships we face each day, I'm also grateful that this life is not our home, & I look forward to that final home filled with lasting joy & rest & peace for all eternity.

November 29

While many people are out shopping today, I'm grateful for work on the farm.  I love manual labor - there is something very refreshing to me about it.  I find joy in going outside, spending time with my dad & brother in the barn & accomplishing something.  I'm grateful that I had the opportunity to be raised on a farm, learning hard work, dedication, responsibility and a love for God's vast creation, both nature & animals.

November 28 (Thanksgiving)

I'm grateful for my extended family.  With my mom being an only child, every Thanksgiving we have always spent the day with my aunts & uncles & cousins on my dad's side of the family - what started as my Grandma & Grandpa Smith, my dad & his old brother & sister, is now an annual Thanksgiving gathering of around 50!  It's such a blessing to gather each year, catch up on life, watch the little ones grow up, & even meet new friends or family members! :)

November 27

I’m grateful for my family, especially for the blessing of being an aunt to 11 nieces & nephews!  2 of my nephews are spending the night with me at my parents' - they love being on the farm.  And I love having them.  I love going out to the barn with them, & the 5-year-old is a great little helper in the barn!  He will walk around & work non-stop out there!  I'm a very blessed aunt. :)

November 26

I'm spending this week at my parents' in northeast Ohio.  This is always a bit of a retreat for me - out in the country, on the farm, not great internet access.  And as an extra bonus, there's snow up here & it's snowing more!  I'm so grateful for the refreshing atmosphere of being on the farm, spending time with my family &, of course, watching the snow fall!

November 25

I’m grateful for sleep.  No really, that's what I'm grateful for on this day.  After 5 days covering Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Atlanta & back to Cincinnati, I made the 3-4 hour drive to northeast Ohio to my parents' for Thanksgiving week.  I arrived at my parents, exhausted from the previous week, & proceeded to take 2 naps today!  I'm really grateful for how God created us to recharge our bodies & minds with sleep!

November 24

To be honest, this was just a hard day, & difficult for me to choose gratefulness.  I returned from my friend in Atlanta & came back to our staff conference in Cincinnati for this final day of the conference.  It was difficult to attempt to 'jump back in' after an emotionally draining trip.  But with the help of a couple friends, we threw a virtual baby shower for our friend in Atlanta who had just lost her twin son & were able to 'facetime' her into the shower so she could see & talk to co-workers & friends. We were able to celebrate the life of her other twin son, & we spent time together praying with & for her, as well as for her husband & their son.  I'm grateful for community - the body of Christ - in the midst of the sorrows & challenges of this life.

November 23

Today I attended my friend's funeral service for her 4-week-old preemie twin son that she lost a week ago (November 16th).  It was heart-breaking, yet I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be here & share this day with my friend.  I’m grateful that because of Jesus there is hope in the midst of darkness, healing & comfort in the midst of pain, & the promise of new life in heaven in the midst of death here on this earth.

November 22

In the NICU in Atlanta with my friend
Bridget as she holds her son Jackson
for the first time!

I’m grateful for sustenance for a long day, & for unexpected gifts & blessings in the midst of hardship.  As soon as our Intern Time was finished & we cleaned up, I headed to the airport to fly to Atlanta to be with my friend who just lost her one of her 4 week old premature twin sons.  It was a very a long day, but the Lord sustained me physically & emotionally.  And when my friend took me to the NICU on this evening to see & meet her surviving twin son, we were greeted with an unexpected blessing & gift as the NICU nurse looked at my friend & said, “Would you like to hold him tonight?”  Because her sons were delivered at only 25 weeks, she had not been able to hold this twin yet.  So you can imagine what a gift this was to hear for my friend!  I’m so grateful to have shared this moment with my dear friend, & to take pictures of her holding her son for the first time (at 5 weeks old).  What a sweet gift from the Lord.

November 21

I’m really grateful for my job, which is a ministry, & a calling!  I have the honor of working with our region’s Campus Ministry US Interns – this year there are nearly 70 on the field.  As we spent time together with our Interns today I was reminded of what an awesome job I have getting to work with such incredible individuals who seek to walk with Jesus daily.

November 20

Today I headed to Cincinnati to begin preparing for our annual Regional Fall Staff Conference.  I’m grateful for the opportunity to serve others, whether it’s unloading a U-Haul full of conference supplies, stuffing 470 gift bags for incoming staff for a conference or staying up late setting up tables in a conference room for the following day.  Giving of ourselves to serve & bless others truly is a blessing to those who serve & give as well – usually in unexpected ways! :)

November 19
As I sit here tonight thinking over my day, I'm grateful for God's Word & how it is alive & active in our lives today.  I'm grateful for the opportunity to learn from His Word, from the lives & actions of those in the past - both from those who walked in obedience & honored the Lord, as well as from those who didn't.

Father, thank you for continuing to use your Word in my life to convict me, correct me, challenge me and encourage me.  May I always be open to hearing from You through Your Word.

November 18
I'm so grateful for how the Lord designed us, His children, to be connected to one another in the body of Christ!  It's so beautiful to see brothers & sisters in Christ rally around a member of the church who is walking through loss, grief, hardship, etc.  He could have left us to fend for ourselves, but He didn't. He chose to give us relationships with one other, both for our good & for His glory.

November 17
Lately I've been reminded & grateful that this world & this life is not our final home.  As I continue to grieve with my friend over the very sudden loss of one of her 4-week-old premie twin sons, & process a loss in my own life, this truth has been in the forefront of my mind & heavy on my heart.  Yesterday I heard an anology making this very point - the example of a man on an airplane pulling things out of his bag, posting up pictures on the back of the seat in front of him & basically settling in as if he was home.  How crazy that would look to someone else on the plane because we know that he is simply in 'transit' & not actually home yet.  Similarly, we are just in 'transit' here in this world - we're not home yet.

I'm grateful that in the midst of grief & loss & uncertain circumstances, I can look to Jesus, & I can remember & look forward to my eternal home with Him.  Come Lord Jesus, Come...

November 16

Tobias Kell (October 18 - November 16)

Today was a very sobering day, and I was reminded of the brevity & fragility of life.  A very dear friend lost one of her 4-week-old preemie twin sons this morning.  I am so grateful today that in the midst of loss & sorrow & grief in this world, our HOPE is ultimately found in Jesus.  I am grateful that He is our Comforter & Healer in whatever we face.

You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book.
Psalm 56:8

November 15
As I continue to think about 'National Adoption Month' I'm grateful that I have been chosen & adopted as God's own child.  What an honor, what a privilege, that the King of kings gave His One & Only Son for me.  He then picked me up, cleaned me off, & brought me into His home, His eternal Kingdom, making me His precious daughter.  And that's a relationship that can never be broken.

"But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12)


November 14
In honor of November being 'National Adoption Month' I'm grateful for my beautiful adopted niece Kariyas.  Definitely a handful, but what a bundle of joy & energy!  I can't imagine our family without her!  She is my niece through & through.  I love her creativity, her fiestiness, her deterimination, and her fun-loving & outgoing personality.

Jesus, thank you for sparing Kariyas' life, for caring for her & watching over her, & for bringing her into our lives & into our family.  We are blessed because of her.


November 13
I'm grateful that God invites us into His work of building His Kingdom for eternity.  What an honor & privilege to be allowed into that process!  Sadly I too often forget this & I miss out.  But when I stop & think about how the God of the Universe is also my Heavenly Father who has invited me (a sinner saved by His grace, yet also His daughter whom He created & knows & loves) into His work with Him...wow.  It's just so humbling & leaves me a little speechless.

Father, thank you for allowing me to join you in your work of building your Kingdom for eternity.  Thank you for using me in the lives of others to tell them about you & point them to you.  Thank you for allowing me the honor of being about part of your life changing work in your children.

November 12
I'm so grateful for my church & small group.  I enjoying serving & investing time or energy without it feeling draining or burdensome.  And no matter what is going on in my week, I look forward to Tuesday nights when I get to gather with this group around a meal, sharing stories, sharing our hearts, our struggles, our opinions, laughing, crying, praying...just walking through life together & serving together as Christ followers.

November 11
On this Veteran's Day I'm grateful for all those who have gone before me, sacrificing so much, even to the point of their own lives, for my freedoms today.  I'm grateful for my grandfather who served in WWI, for my uncles & my dad for their service to our country as well.  I'm grateful for friends & so many others who are currently serving in various capacities.  And I'm grateful to have been born in a nation with such a history of fighting for freedoms.  http://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetdayhistory.asp

November 10
Today I was reminded of how I grateful I am for God's hand of healing & growth in my life.  As I gathered with some dear sisters in Christ tonight & we updated one another on life, I was encouraged by all God has done in my life to draw me closer to Him & transform me more & more into the image of Christ.  Even when I just look at the past year, I can see such a difference in how I respond to my singleness.  At one point I told them, "My circumstances aren't necessarily different from a year ago, but I am & how I choose to respond to those circumstances."  What evidence of God's healing & freedom in  my life!  Thank you Jesus, for being so faithful & never giving up on us, even when we are disobedient or stubborn or unfaithful!!

November 9
Wow!  So much to be thankful for tonight!  I'm usually really grateful for weekends, but today was such an incredible day.  I'm grateful for a relaxing, quiet morning enjoying my coffee along with the sunshine on this colorful fall morning while reading God's Word and spending time with Him.  And then a 34 mile bike ride around my city - down the Monon trail, across the Canal Trail through Broad Ripple, past Butler's campus, past the IMA, down the White River Trail, over the Cross Cultural Trail, past IUPUI's campus, across downtown Indy, through Fountain Square, and eventually back up the Monon.  I'm so grateful for my city, just taking in the sights, sounds, children playing on playgrounds, people out for walks or bike rides or walking their dogs, the colors & sounds & smells of fall, and so much more!  I'm so grateful for the physical ability to spend the afternoon biking.  And so grateful for the sun!

And tonight I am grateful for the fellowship of sweet friends, good food, and sharing our gifts with one another through music, art, writing, etc.  As I walked out to my car to head home this evening I looked up & just stopped to take in the vast view of the sky - the black night sky against the stars, immediately noticing the constellation of Orion, & then taking in the light of the moon, even noticing its shadow.

Driving home I pondered, "What will I choose to write about to be grateful for tonight?  There's so much to choose from!"  And as I thought over my day, I simply thought, "Life!"  I'm grateful for LIFE, an abundant life.  I don't deserve all these things - I don't deserve this life.  I did nothing to earn it, and yet I've been given this awesome abundant life!  This was surely an abundant day of life, & my heart is full of gratitude tonight.

November 8
I'm reminded of how blessed I am to have a place to call home - an apartment with heat & water, food in my fridge, clothes in my closet, & pillow to rest my head on.  I'm grateful that I never have to question these things - I have them each & every day.  And no matter where I've followed the Lord around this globe, He has always provided a 'home' for me.

November 7
Tonight I'm overwhelmed by thankfulness & gratitude for the cross - the cross of Christ.  Like Lecrae says, "He lived a life I could not live, & died a death I should have died. "  Thank you for the cross Jesus.  Thank you for buying me with a price - the price of your very own life.  Thank you for pursuing me until I finally turned & chose life with you.  Thank you for this journey of walking with you.  Thank you for the way of the cross.

http://myhopewithbillygraham.org/programs/the-cross/

http://myhopewithbillygraham.org/mercy-tree-music-video/

November 6
I'm so grateful for the friends & community the Lord has blessed me with here in Indy.  I'm so blessed by my Cru staff family, my church family, and so many more!

November 5
I'm grateful for the gift of the Holy Spirit.  I'm grateful to know that He has sealed me for eternity, and grateful for how He sustains me, helps me, comforts me, and guides me throughout each day, as I allow Him to be released in and through my life.  I'm grateful for how He sometimes seems to supernatually carry me through the day when I personally feel so weak and tired.  What an incredible gift.

November 4
Tonight I am reminded of & grateful for God's FAITHFULNESS in so many ways.  I'm grateful that I can claim & stand on His promises & His character regardless of my circumstances or how I feel in the moment.

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the FAITHFUL God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love Him and keep His commandments, to a thousand generations  (Deuteronomy 7:9)

November 3
So grateful today for the breath-taking creation our Father & Creator has designed!  Like the awe-inspiring masterpiece of an artist, His creation displays His glory & splendor.  I'm so thankful for the opportunity to take in the rich colors & smells & sounds of fall today - the vibrant yellows, golds, oranges & reds of the trees as well as the smells & crunch of the leaves beneath my feet, the sun seemingly spotlighting the rich colors on the trees, as well as the sound & sight of water running over the rocks & through the layer of fallen leaves.  Father THANK YOU for your creation, for the ever-changing colors of fall, & for the opportunity to take it all in!

November 2
Tonight I'm incredibly grateful for great friends, fellowship, laughter, as well as a love for color and art.  Today as been filled with color and life...not only the incredible color and life of fall all around me, the color and life experienced through creating a piece of art, but also the color and life enjoyed in the sweet fellowship of sisters in Christ.  I don't deserve any of this!  And yet God grants us all these these blessings...& more!

November 1
Today I'm thankful for God's unending, unmerited GRACE in my life.  It's not only the grace that allows me to have a relationship with Him through Jesus, but also the grace I experience each & every day, although I'm sure it's much more than I even realize.  His grace is sufficient for every circumstance.  I'm grateful for His GRACE.