‘Tis the season for writing out wishlists, filling the calendar, and stuffing our stomachs! Our to-do lists our longer than usual. At this time of year, we tend to spend more time thinking about we need, want, or plan on than usual.

Sometimes it’s refreshing and helpful to remember what we already have.

What We Have as God’s Children

• The Spirit

“For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” –Romans 8:6

• God’s Own Word

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” –2 Timothy 3:16

• The Riches of Christ

“Although I am less than the least of all the Lord’s people, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the boundless riches of Christ.” –Ephesians 3:8

• A Place in God’s Kingdom

“Has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him?” –James 2:5

• Faith, Grace, Hope, and a Testimony

“Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.” –Romans 5:2

Ideas for Thinking on God’s Good, Perfect Gifts

• A few years ago I heard someone on the radio say that when they found themselves dwelling on lists of hurts or worries, they tried to switch and think on a list of blessings from God.
• Memorize Scripture! God gives His Word to us as a good gift and we can never spend too much time learning from Him through it.
• Focus on someone you love- thank God for them, pray for them, consider what a blessing they are to you.
• Recall your testimony. Remember how God has saved you. Praise Him for answered prayers and times when He has especially apparently worked in your life.
• Look up one of the names or character traits of God and consider the glory, matchless implications of God being who God is.

What else would you add? Any tips for re-orienting your mind to think on what you already have in Christ?

{A version of this post was previously published here}

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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.

Although Christmas is one of my favorite holidays, I enjoy celebrating the time set aside for giving thanks.

Maybe you’re one of those people who already has your home Christmas-ready. That’s awesome for you. I say, To each her own.

Yet, it’s not my cup of tea. Not even holiday spiced tea. For me, I like both feet firmly planted in our thankful holiday before moving on. But the weekend after giving thanks? Then, I’m all about hanging ornaments, positioning blinking lights, and spreading Christmas cheer.

You see, I’m a straight lines kind of girl. So I never like to blur the lines of one holiday and cross over into another one at the same time.

Further, my family knows how much rule-keeping runs through my veins. Perhaps, this plays a role. Regardless of the reason, celebrating holidays distinctly, separately, and in chronological order remains my thing.

ThanksGiving Around the Table

This makes the fourth year to host my immediate family (kids and grandkids) and part of my husband’s family in our home for ThanksGiving. I enjoy everything about it: gathering with loved ones, decorating the table with my little pilgrims and a few pumpkins, and doing a portion of the cooking with my guests bringing dishes to add to our spread.

And the overall menu lands in the top spot as my all-time-favorite meal. A menu of turkey, dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, creamed corn, mac & cheese, green beans, sweet potato casserole, homemade rolls, and pies—pumpkin and lemon (my grandmother Clarkston’s recipe).

Yum! I can hardly wait!

ThanksGiving and ThanksLiving

Still, we know the celebration isn’t just about taking our seat at the table to gobble down savory and sweet delicacies. Instead, it’s about ThanksGiving and ThanksLiving.

To encourage our thankfulness along, let’s remind ourselves to give thanks for and to our great God. Because He’s a good, good Father who’s given us many gifts. And He has done great things.

To encourage our thankfulness along, let’s remind ourselves to give thanks 'for' and 'to' our great God. Because He's a good, good Father who's given us many gifts. And He has done great things. #Thanksgiving @FridayKaren
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Then we remind oursleves to give thanks to God through living a life of sincere ThanksGiving by ThanksLiving.

ThanksLiving is ThanksGiving supercharged and supersized.

ThanksLiving is ThanksGiving supercharged and supersized. #Thankful #Thanksgiving @FridayKaren
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But what does this look like? How do we go about it?

Perhaps in part like this acronym.

T-H-A-N-K-S-G-I-V-I-N-G:

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

Honor the Lord with our lips and obey His commandments in our heart. (Isaiah 29:13)

Abide in Jesus as the vine for a fruitful life. (John 15)

Number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (Psalm 90:12)

Keep the faith. (2 Timothy 4:7)

Satisfy our longing soul and hungry soul with good things from God. (Psalm 107:9)

Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted. (Isaiah 12:4)

Increase our praise to God, for His steadfast love is better than life. (Psalm 63:3)

Value our life, and every good and perfect gift from the Father of lights. (James 1:17)

Invite others to the foot of Calvary’s cross and an empty tomb, not ashamed of the gospel. (Romans 1:16)

Name God as Lord of our life, living in righteousness for His name’s sake. (Psalm 23:3)

Gain godliness with contentment. (1 Timothy 6:6)

Happy ThanksGiving and ThanksLiving! 

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LINKUP is open! Join my friend @FridayKaren to discuss giving thanks to God through living a life of sincere ThanksGiving by ThanksLiving. Because God is Lord of our lives. Share your #blog #thanksgiving
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The dreadful torture machine blinked once, twice… and thus the hopes of a week of salad and protein eating went down the drain.

Great.

Let me tell you right now – of all the curses humanity inherited from Adam and Eve’s fall, hormones must be the most annoying one.

If you are a woman, they torment you from puberty to – uh, say, 60 years old. That’s almost half a century of ups and downs of emotions, energy, and, to many of us, weight fluctuations.

It just ain’t funny. Not.at.all.

I stepped down from the scale, determined to stay the course of my journey. I put on sneakers and workout clothes and stepped outside for my morning walk. [Did I tell you I was angry?]

While climbing the first steep hill right off my driveway, an inventory of the previous week ran through my mind: I stuck to my eating program and exercised three times that week. I drank plenty of water and slept well. And yet, my metabolism seems to have parked.

“Hormones,” I thought. “I hate hormones.” Frustration built up as my legs marched toward the top of the hill.

That’s when that Still Small Voice interrupted my tirade:

“Give Thanks… And open your eyes to see what I see.”

As the uphill journey became increasingly harder with each step, God shifted my thoughts from the pettiness of my personal struggles to the mountains I climbed by faith… and the valleys some of my friends are crossing today.

I remembered my neighbor who currently struggles with terminal cancer, and how I know he wishes he could climb our neighborhood’s hills and run around the lake.

I remembered how, not long ago, my legs would not have had the strength to stand, much less run, as several health problems made it impossible to move at a fast pace… for a long, long time.

I remembered how hormones made it possible for me to conceive my precious daughters, while so many women struggle with infertility every day.

And finally, I remembered those beautiful words written by David on Psalm 139 – a wonderful invitation to shift our perspective from what we see in the mirror to what God sees when He looks at us:

“Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb. I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation! (verses 13-14 – The Message – emphasis mine.)

As I repented from my shallow point of view, God filled my heart with thanksgiving and praise.

And so I thanked Him for legs that may not be as muscular as they once were, but are healthy and strong enough to carry me throughout my days…

And because, regardless of how much I weigh or how many new wrinkles show up on my face as the years go by, He sees me one way and one way only: beautifully, skillfully, and wonderfully made.

We are beautiful, not because the world says so…

Nor because the scale confirms…

Or because our hearts agree.

We are beautiful because we are made in His image, redeemed for righteousness… and sealed by His blood.

We are beautiful because our Daddy says so.

And no mirror or scale should convince us otherwise.

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We're beautiful because our Daddy says so. No mirror or scale should convince us otherwise.
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“Abba Father, help us see ourselves as you see us. In Jesus’ beautiful Name!”

The post Finding Beautiful {What Your Mirror and Scale Won’t Tell You} appeared first on Soaring With Him Ministries.