Thanksgiving

The first Thanksgiving on American soil was an expression of gratitude to God, neighbors, and strangers. It had been a brutal couple of winters with many lives lost to illness and starvation. The celebration was an outward showing of being grateful for their very first successful and bountiful harvest of corn.

“Enter His gates with Thanksgiving in your hearts.” Psalm 100:4

Challenging times are often when I’ve been most grateful. Dark times, in the belly of the whale, so to speak, force me to draw strength from God. I certainly am not able to rescue myself! I am a recovering alcoholic and addict, who has been redeemed and restored by the blood of the Lamb. I have also been diagnosed with Complex PTSD, acute depression, and anxiety.

Four years ago, defeated and knowing it, I arrived at the doors of recovery, where I was taught how to have an “attitude of gratitude.” This way of living is a choice to find good inside every situation. In recovery, we call the attitude of gratitude “reframing.” This is the ability to shift my perspective from negative thoughts into positive thinking.

While practicing gratitude, my negative emotions grow weaker because my mind must pause and look for the good things inside of challenging moments. Gratitude causes physiological changes inside the brain, releasing natural dopamine and serotonin. This type of living makes me feel more resilient - strong enough to face the many Whack-A-Mole of issues, addictions, and struggles I face each day.

I am grateful today, not only for my sobriety, but for the quality of life my sobriety has brought with it. I’ve experienced the goodness of God, and I realize He is always at work in my life. This is why I choose to show gratitude in how I live my daily life.

Impacting others with gratitude is one of the greatest resources God has given me over the last four years of recovery. When I channel my gratitude into service, I can help others feel the same hope, love, and joy that I feel.

The remaining question is, “How do I create gratitude when all hope seems lost?”

Gratitude, like faith, is a muscle. We have to do some heavy lifting to cultivate muscle memory. Eventually, after practice, I can induce genuine gratitude without much sweat. A good exercise for developing a culture of thanksgiving is to think of three things I am grateful for today. When this seems too much, I remind myself that I can thank God, for He is Good and His Love endures forever (1 Chronicles 16:34).

Things that we find ordinary in daily life may seem like a luxury to someone else. Am I taking for granted that I have a roof over my head? I have electricity and hot water. That is three things, without much effort on my part.

Life as a person in recovery, as well as a full-time homemaker, has plenty of challenges. Some days, I find it hard to be thankful for endless amounts of housework. Sorry kids, I actually do not enjoy doing five people’s worth of dishes. How can I find myself grateful while mustering up motivation to tackle chores? I go to God. It sounds something like, “Heavenly Father, thank you for my family who is able to eat and dirty these dishes. Thank you for the running water to clean the dishes. Thank you for my health, that I am able to complete this task.” (I have had rheumatoid arthritis since I was 16.)

This sort of prayer helps me with defeating regular frustrations. After asking my kiddos to clean their room for what feels like the hundredth time, I have to shift my thinking. I remind myself that if I find it hard to look at their bedroom when it’s a mess, it will be even harder to look at the space after they leave home. All of a sudden, I am grateful for the disaster zone because it means my home is full with family.

Angry with my spouse? Gasp…never! LOL. My prayer becomes “God, please give me the voice of thanksgiving right now. Thank you that I have a husband to get mad at. I remember how lonely life was without him.”

God is faithful to have given me an attitude of gratitude.

I keep a Gratitude Journal and try to write down at least three new things each day. I try not to repeat what I’ve already written days prior. Some mornings it is hard to think of things to be grateful for. That is a day that I journal at night and thank God for the day’s victories. Even the small wins count.

This Thanksgiving, the Holiday of Gratitude, I want to be like Paul. He instructs believers to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). What fueled this imprisoned, financially broke, and spiritually poor man to find himself full of gratitude? He shares his insight with the Philippians: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, BY PRAYER AND PETITION, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”

I want to celebrate God all day, every day. I want to have my eyes wide open to God’s holiness and see Him work all things together for good. Having an attitude of gratitude seems to be the only way I am able to travel through life on life’s terms. There may never come a day when I can say, “Wow, God, thank you for all the dirty dishes!” However, I can find myself full of gratitude for the family, friends, and food that gave me the dirty dishes sitting in my sink.

God has given us 86,400 seconds inside each day. Have I used one to say, “Thank You?”

Christian Martin

Christian Martin has been a stay-at-home mom, homeschooling her children, for the last decade. In addition to being in recovery for substance abuse, God has redeemed and restored the years that the locust had eaten. She loves Jesus, spending time with her kiddos, engaging with women one-on-one, and helping others find hope.