The Underestimated Discipline of Giving Thanks

Can I say something weird? Something you wouldn't expect me to say?

Giving Thanks is hard.

It's easy to say “thank you” in passing or to appreciate good news as it comes, but Giving Thanks is more than that. It's a complex discipline of intentionally pausing to consider all the things with which we have been blessed. Giving Thanks is about looking beyond the negative, seeing through the turmoil of our own restless hearts and minds. It asks us to focus on all the positive things we tend to overlook when they aren't right in front of us.

That's why the Thanksgiving holiday is so important. We long for celebration, even when everything seems to be falling apart around. Even when we are so well loved that we've become numb to the beauty of it all. All of us need to be reminded that we live in a world that was designed for love, joy, and relationship. We're all evidence of that fact.

Even if we sometimes struggle to put that knowledge into words.

Thank You.

No matter what you've been through this year, I hope that you set aside time to rest in your blessings and to reflect on their origin. Doing so is part of our design. It heals us, inspires us, and moves us forward.

And if you have any doubt that there's lots to be thankful for this year, I would challenge you to look at this community. In the last eleven months, we have restored nearly 100 homes. We have given 6,000 children momentum for success in school. Together, we healed bodies and souls. We even labored side by side in all of the above and more, and in just a few weeks, we'll be giving Christmas joy to families who are struggling to find anything for which to be thankful. That's incredible. YOU are incredible.

I am thankful for you. For all you have done and all that you will do. Let's do something with all that positive momentum: Night of Hope is just around the corner.

Sincerely,

Steven
Your Storyteller