4 Ways to Cultivate Intentional Gratitude This Thanksgiving
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When you think of gratitude, what comes to mind?
For me, it is an image of me being still — a holy pause to take note of what’s around me. I am grateful when I walk alongside the ocean, taking in the beauty of creation. I pause in awe when my child masters a new skill or offers me some of their sloppy affection. The moments after a lovely reunion with friends, in which your heart soars because you know how lucky you are to have them by your side. Sometimes it’s a long exhale, giving thanks that the worst-case did not become reality. It’s those quiet moments in between when your heart knows and remembers that God is good and so faithful in your life.
We need more of those moments this Thanksgiving, and a key element to experiencing them is slowing down. I am preaching to myself here. You should see my fall calendar! Every day, there are detailed directions written about the places I need to be, the tasks I need to complete, and the goals I’ve laid out for me and my family. There are so many moving pieces that I oversee in my life, pausing is a rarity!
Yet, slow, grateful living is a key part of God’s way that we must embrace. Thanksgiving is a perfect reminder that life is not just meant to be done, it’s meant to be appreciated. Let’s explore some ways we can cultivate a grateful heart this Thanksgiving.
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1. Commit to Moments of Stillness
To please God, I must protect my heart from the relentless pressure to do in our world, and allow myself time to just be still. It's in the stillness that we know Him. Stillness is also how we gain wisdom and clarity (Psalm 46:10). We can’t quite think straight when we are rushing from place to place. It’s impossible to see things the way God does when we are only living in survival mode.
Resting, waiting, and pausing are all a part of how we observe who God is and can take inventory of His many good gifts in our lives. If we never stop, we miss all the good stuff. Even the most magical moments of family bliss can go right by us if we aren’t tuned into the beauty that is in front of us.
Pause this holiday season and note God’s goodness that is alive around you. Offer Him your praise and heartfelt thanks for the moments you’ve been given to delight in Him. Take note of his provision and boundless grace. Let the quiet in-between moments matter. Let those holy pauses bless the Lord. God delights in your willingness to remember him. He loves it when you slow down and make space for Him to show off. He wants to bless you, to bring joy to your heart. Give him room to show up this Thanksgiving in a fresh way that encourages your soul.
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2. Slow Down
How often do I miss out on the reason for my child’s belly laugh because I’m tied up doing? Over Thanksgiving, it’s so easy to be the one – cooking, cleaning, hosting, preparing, and giving – that you miss all the magic of gathered family and friends. If you have to cook, do it slowly, with the ones you love.
If you are opening your house to host, do it in a way that brings joy to your heart. Don’t begrudgingly decorate and stock your table. Open your space in a way that feels natural, cozy, and not overdone. If simple is all you can muster, embrace it! Stressing over the details isn’t worth it. Just offer what you have to your loved ones and let it be enough.
Make time to have longer conversations, to include your children in the process of preparing, to connect. This season isn’t about performing well; it’s about being well and being together. Prioritize slow moments of togetherness over the plan, to-do list, and over perfection.
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3. Embrace Mindfulness
We are all filled with so many emotions! We can’t deny them; we must recognize them. But being mindful allows us to redirect those emotions when we need to. I love the Psalms because this is what the writers did again and again. They declare their pain, their fear, and their great need. Immediately after these words of despair are declarations of truth.
Psalm 42:5 says, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.”
In this verse, his feelings are recognized, not glossed over, but then he declares God’s truth to his soul. He says it’s time to put your hope in God and praise him.
Not everything about Thanksgiving or the holidays in general is pleasant. Sometimes being with family is painful; other times, we are struck with grief over who isn’t sharing a meal with us this year, or we are stressed because there is so much to do. These are all valid struggles, but if we want to be intentional about gratitude, we have to speak truth to our feelings.
We are thankful to be with our family, even if some of the conversations we have aren’t easy. We love those who are not here and are glad to be able to remember them. We don’t have to do everything; we can slow down and trust that God will help us have a great time, even if we aren’t moving at the speed of light. We know that we are loved by God even when we don’t feel as loved as we should around the Thanksgiving table. Speak truth that points your soul to goodness as you prepare for this time of celebration.
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4. Get Everyone Involved in the Practice of Sharing Your Gratitude
Enlist the help of your people as you prepare for Thanksgiving. Give them tasks that help everyone prioritize gratitude. It can be reading aloud verses that stir up thanksgiving and praise. Here are a few verses you could meditate on:
“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” (Psalm 107:1).
“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2).
“I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High” (Psalm 7:17).
“But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere” (2 Corinthians 2:14).
Take time to create lists that share which parts of life are most precious for everyone right now. Maybe you take time to tell a testimony of God’s faithfulness from the year. How quickly do we all forget all God has done for us!
There could be art or other arrangements that point you towards God’s beauty and grace. Maybe there are people in your home who need to reconcile so peace can flourish this holiday.
Find ways as a unit to prepare your home and your hearts for Thanksgiving. Together, give God the glory for all his so many blessings from the past 365 days. If it’s just being here that is a miracle, don’t forget to say that and praise him for his sustaining power.
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