Whether it’s our favorite foods or trying something new, recipes assist in the desired result. Even online dish-and-recipe photos pull us in with the promise of achieving success as the cook.

Every Thanksgiving, I follow a special recipe to make my Grandmother Clarkston’s lemon pie. Yum. It’s my favorite dessert of all time.

Then, as soon as I post pie photos on social media, family and friends, far and wide, ask for the recipe.

Stirring up a Thankful Heart

Recipes always call for measurements—a cup of this or a tablespoon of that. Likewise, we often make other measures in life.

But where do we find the recipe for a thankful heart? What ingredients work together to make a heart full of thanksgiving? 

A real thankful heart never comes easy, much less during the last few difficult years experienced around the world—including my world and perhaps yours.

Because we don’t have to look far to see devastation, need, loss, hurt, lack and hopelessness.

You see, these factors only affect our heart if we allow it. We decide whether our hearts turn hard toward God or thankful.

Our circumstances never dictate true thankfulness in our heart.

Our circumstances never dictate true thankfulness in our heart. @FridayKaren #thankful #recipe #blog
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So here are eight ingredients to stir up a T-H-A-N-K-F-U-L heart.

Thankful Heart Recipe

T – Taste and see that the Lord is good. (Psalm 34:8)

The first bite of lemon pie always reminds me of its goodness. Similarly, God reminds us over and over He’s a good, good Father. God alone is reason enough to give thanks.   

H – Help others. (Philippians 2:4, Matthew 25:42-44)

Kingdom principles rarely make sense to our limited minds. When we look to the interests and needs of others, and when we help the least of these, it grows a thankful heart.

A – Accelerate praise and giving thanks to the Lord. (Psalm 7:17, Psalm 69:30)

As our voice sings praises and gives thanks, and raises Hallelujahs!, our heart naturally overflows with thankfulness. Praise + giving thanks = a thankful heart.

As our voice sings praises and gives thanks, and raises Hallelujahs!, our heart naturally overflows with thankfulness. Praise + giving thanks = a thankful heart. #thanksgiving #blog
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N – Nourish our soul. (Isaiah 55:1-3, John 6:35)

Holidays and special occasions find most of us nourishing our body with nutrients and vitamins (and other stuff we won’t mention here). But replenishing our soul with spiritual nourishment brings spiritual vitality and life. We go to the bread of life, Jesus, to satisfy our hunger and thirst.

K – Keep the faith. (2 Timothy 4:7)

Like straying from a recipe botches the dish, straying from the foundations of our faith leaves us open to worldly perspectives and a less than whole heart devoted to God.

More Ingredients

F – Form an attitude of gratitude. (1 Timothy 4:4, Hebrews 12:28)

An attitude makes all the difference. Forming a specific one doesn’t happen overnight. Hebrews 12:28 encourages us to “be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken.” (ESV) And 1 Timothy 4:4 says, “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.” (ESV) Attitudes of gratitude connect thanksgiving to our heart.

U – Understand God’s blessings. (Ephesians 1:3)

We’ve heard it said to count our blessings. And we know we are blessed with every spiritual blessing. While it’s not an exhaustive list, these include: amazing grace, never-ending mercy, unconditional and undying love, unsurpassed peace, real hope, authentic faith, unwavering truth, overflowing joy and God’s fullness for our emptiness.

L – Lay up treasures in heaven. (Matthew 6:19-21)

We have all lost earthly treasure. Maybe especially over the last few years. Perhaps income, home, retirement, investments, insurance, or other.

One sure-fire way to cook up a thankful heart? Lay up treasures in heaven. A place treasure is never destroyed and no one steals from us.

One sure-fire way to cook up a thankful heart? Lay up treasures in heaven. A place treasure is never destroyed and no one steals from us. #thankful #blog
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Have you left out any ingredients for a thankful heart?

Let’s put this recipe to use this Thanksgiving and all year long.

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LINKUP is open. Join my friend @FridayKaren for a special recipe this Thanksgiving. Just as a great recipe makes a delicious dish when we add all the ingredients, there's a recipe to follow for a thankful heart. Share your blog! #blog
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Featured image courtesy of Adobe Spark.

The post Try This Great Recipe for a Thankful Heart {Recharge Wednesday LINKUP} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

― Anne Frank, “The Diary of a Young Girl”

I was 14 years old when our school drama director cast me to play the role of Anne Frank. He said there was a poignant resemblance between the famous Jewish writer and me, both in looks and attitude. As I looked at her pictures and started reading her diary, I became genuinely flattered by the compliment. Anne Frank was a pure beam of light. Her optimism, imagination, and grace were both contagious and astounding.

I had recently found out that my father was a descendent of Dutch Jews; therefore, the plight of my ancestors in World War II became a meaningful subject of study to me. In an attempt to better understand the truth about one of history’s darkest times, I read several books concerning the war.

But of all the books I’ve read and movies I’ve watched on WWII since then, Anne Frank’s diary was perhaps the one that touched me the most.

The diary provides the reader with an intense and moving glimpse into the world of this young teenager. Her family fled from Nazi Germany to Amsterdam in 1933. In 1940, Germany invaded Holland, and one year later, when all public schools closed to Jews, the Franks were forced to hide in a secret annex of a house. They remained in their small hiding place and under the protection of non-Jew Dutch office workers for two years but were eventually betrayed and deported to Westerbork concentration camp, and later to Auschwitz-Birkenau. In November 1944, Anne and her sister Margot arrived in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where Anne contracted typhus and died.

Earlier this morning, I was outside, enjoying one of the few sunny days during this countrywide quarantine, when one of Anne Frank’s quotes ran across my mind:

“As long as this exists, this sunshine and this cloudless sky, and as long as I can enjoy it, how can I be sad?”

As I closed my eyes, letting the warm morning sunshine touch my face, I listened to the birds’ songs and the rustling of leaves as my two puppies chased each other in the backyard. I thought about the many complaints I have heard since the government shut down businesses and public places, forcing us to stay home with our families. Those thoughts took me back to a young girl who, 80 years ago, was forced to hide, not for one month, but two years, and who still had the hope and wisdom to see beauty and God’s hand in her dire circumstances. The memory of the time her story stole my heart encouraged me to dust off her book and read some of her most encouraging quotes:

“I don’t think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains.”

“Those who have courage and faith shall never perish in misery.”

“Where there’s hope, there’s life. It fills us with fresh courage and makes us strong again.”

Where there’s hope, there’s life. It fills us with fresh courage and makes us strong again ~ Anne Frank @AJC #MondayMotivation #MondayThoughts #AnneFrank #Coronovirus #encouragement
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We don’t know how long this quarantine will last, how many people will get sick with this dreadful virus, and how many more will die. All we can do is trust God, who is still on the throne. He has allowed this crisis for a reason. While many of our comforts and amenities have been taken away, we should seize this surreal time and enjoy people and things we often take for granted, as well as reach out to those in need. We may not be able to visit them, but we can pray, leave a meal at their doorstep, or send an encouraging text or card.

We don’t know how long this quarantine will last, how many people will get sick with this dreadful virus, and how many more will die. All we can do is trust God, who is still on the throne. @AJC #MondayMotivation #MondayThoughts…
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The question is: Are we choosing to spend this time complaining, criticizing our authorities or trembling in fear, or, like that wise 14-year-old Jewish girl, are we determined to find beauty, gratitude, and purpose in this trial?

“May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears.” — Nelson Mandela

May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears. ~ Nelson Mandela @AJC #MondayMotivation #MondayThoughts #AnneFrank #Coronovirus #encouragement
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This article was originally published on Patricia’s column for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Saturday, March 28, 2020. Click HERE to read it on the AJC website. 

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LINK UP party is open! This week, I share my latest @AJC column, containing a reflection on the hope shared by a remarkable 14-year old during WWII, who was quarantined for two years. Join us?
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The post Anne Frank: Finding Gratitude During Quarantine {The Atlanta Journal Constitution} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.

“For several minutes, we both sat silently watching the gulls soar overhead, listening to the surf break on the beach. Then Jones began to gather the empty cans and place them in the plastic bag. Standing, he extended his hand and helped me to my feet. ‘Incidentally,’ he said with a smile, ‘you ate sardines and Vienna sausages in the sand. I dined on surf and turf with an ocean view.’ He slapped me on the back. ‘It’s all about perspective.’”

The text above is an excerpt from one of the most impactful books I’ve ever read: “The Noticer” by best-selling author and corporate speaker Andy Andrews.

The main character in the novel, Jones (the Noticer), is based on a man Andrews met when he was a homeless 23-year-old, living under a pier on Alabama’s Gulf Coast. His real name was indeed Jones and he really called himself a Noticer. According to Andrews, Jones is one of the main reasons he no longer sleeps under a pier.

The Noticer’s objective throughout the book is to show everyone he encounters how gratitude is a matter of perspective. Filled with stories of people who had lost hope and found themselves stuck in self-deprecating, destructive behaviors, this part-fiction, part-memoir masterpiece has become one of my favorite gift items for loved ones and friends.

The above passage in particular, plays in my mind every time I find my emotions stuck in the dooming thought patterns that difficult circumstances can bring.

As part of his homeless dinner, Andrews shared canned tuna and sausages with Jones while sitting on the beach sand. While Andrews saw it as a poor man’s meal, the Noticer delighted himself by choosing to see the meal as a feast fit for a king, simply by focusing on the beauty of the environment and gratitude for God’s provision.

The Noticer was determined to live a life of thanksgiving, regardless of his circumstances, and he made it his mission to help people see the hidden blessings in life’s hard spots.

I believe this mindset is crucial for an abundant, victorious life.

Andy Andrews is not alone in the list of successful people who learned to press on through seemingly forsaken circumstances by maintaining a positive outlook in life, while often leaning on God for strength and hope.

History is filled with amazing characters, who came out of the poorest, most difficult environments, only to rise to stardom, wealth and influence.

The bible itself is filled with misfits, weak and failing men and women, who were successful in their calling, and eventually became giants of faith. They did so because they chose not to focus on their weaknesses and hardships, but rather, believed that God’s omnipotent hand was in their trials, molding and strengthening them for a purpose. Their faith acted as a key to unleash Heaven’s bountiful blessings, and I am convinced that the only reason they received them is because they chose to look at their circumstances through God’s viewpoint.

When asked to list the things that make us grateful this Thanksgiving season, our natural tendency is to name only the seemingly good things in our lives.

But what if we choose to become Noticers, thus changing our perspective in every single circumstance we are facing, even the hardest? What if we choose to see a “surf and turf meal with an ocean view” even when all we have is canned tuna and sausage, while sitting in the sand? Could it be that noticing the blessings and thanking God in the hardest situations is the key to change our future?

Noticing the blessings & thanking God in hard situations can be the key to change our future
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This article was published in Patricia’s column for the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Faith & Value Section on Saturday, November 26.

The post Sometimes Gratitude Is Changing Perspective {Atlanta Journal Constitution} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.