There are so many shifts that thankfulness brings.
Operating through the perspective of thankfulness brings peace, and blessing.
Sometimes it’s a subtle change in just one area, but a perspective of thankfulness is often the key to a breakthrough.
Here is a framework to help you make some subtle but powerful shifts in your thinking which will increase your confidence in yourself and God.
It will raise your hope and faith, it will attract more blessings into your life, bring breakthrough and so much more.
1. Practice thankfulness for who you are today, and all that God has already put in you.
This helps you to focus on what you are, not what you are not. It builds your confidence towards what you can do rather than what you cannot. It shifts you from victim mentality to victor mentality. It helps you see the positive perspective. It helps you to be kind to yourself.
Most of us, beat ourselves up feeling we should be further or feeling we have failed or are not good enough amongst other negative thoughts. Shift yourself to being thankful for yourself! You are amazing, a masterpiece created by God!
2. Practice thankfulness for what God is doing rather than what He is not.
This shifts your perspective towards the truth that God is a good God. It helps you to start to understand that goodness. When you take the time to thank Him for all that He is doing and has done for you, you awareness of that goodness is increased. You have a lifetime of testimonies of God’s goodness. Practice being thankful for these testimonies. Focus on what He has done and is doing now, and stop looking at what He is not doing yet.
3. Practice thankfulness for the people that God has put in your life.
This helps you work with them better. Spending time being thankful for them, helps shift expectations from all the things you had hoped for and may not be there, towards enjoying and being totally present in the moment that is here. You will end up focussed on the gift that they are and all the richness of this gift. You will appreciate people more and have better relationships with them.
4. Practice thankfulness for timing.
This is a good one! This looks like being thankful for what is today, and all that God has done so far, rather than, complaining and feeling sorry for what has not yet happened. This one helps us enormously. It helps us to accept God’s timing. It can bring patience and meaning to those things we have had to wait for, for what seems like forever. For example, those unanswered prayers! God is always working on our behalf. We have to trust that that includes perfect timing also.
What Thankfulness Gives Us
Encouragement!
When we focus on thankfulness and are thankful for lots and lots of things, we feel encouraged, we start to see how good our lives are. Others are encouraged too, as the atmosphere around us shifts and becomes energy giving, life giving and positively focussed on all that is good.
More Blessings!
I believe that our thankfulness attracts more blessing into our lives. God loves His kids to be grateful. As a parent how much, more would you want to bless your children that were thankful than those that were grumbling.
Increased Faith!
When I spend time thanking God for many things in my life, my faith soars. I realise how blessed I am, and it builds my excitement and faith for the future. God never changes. He is the same yesterday today and forever. Focussing on His ways in our lives, via thankfulness, helps us to feel confident and full of faith for the future.
Joy and Peace.
When you spend time in thankfulness, you can feel your mood changing. It quite often shifts you out of feeling depressed or overwhelmed. It stirs up joy from within. The Bible says to enter His gates with thanksgiving and praise. So, thankfulness is the atmosphere of heaven. By entering into ‘thankfulness’, we enter into the atmosphere of heaven feeling joy and peace.
Connection to our Values and Desires.
When we spend time being thankful, we realise what matters in our life. This is helpful as we know more clearly what is important to us and what we want more of in our lives. By looking at a list of what we are truly thankful for, we can see in part who we are and what makes us tick! Try having a thankfulness session with friends where each of you lists 20 things you are thankful for, and you really get to know each other.
There are so many more blessings from thankfulness.
Coaching Exercise
This exercise will get you going.
Sit down for 30 minutes and pick 3 areas from the list below. Journal or chat with friends about specific things you are thankful for in these areas:
Your health – What parts of your health are you thankful for? (It could be as simple as, I can walk!)
Your family – What aspects of your family and your family life are you thankful for? Think about what it would be like without them. This inspires thankfulness.
Your work / ministry – What do you love about what you do? If you don’t ‘love’ anything, what parts of it, bring you the most joy? Be thankful for what you get to contribute to, for where you get to be doing what you do, for the impact you have, however small or big.
Your home – If you have a home, be thankful. Spend time thanking God specifically for your home and all that He has blessed you with here.
Your strengths and talents – What strengths and talents have you been blessed to use in your life so far? Thank God for each and every one.
Your geographical area that you live in – What do you love about where you live? What can you be thankful about, specifically in this area?
Your church – What do you thank God for, that you have experienced in your church? What has it given you over the years? What opportunities has it given you to meet others and grow and mature?
Your boss! – The Bible says to pray for our leaders! (1 Timothy 2:1-2). Looking at what we can be thankful about in them guides and inspires us to pray for them.
Your finances – How has God shown up and provided for you so far in your life? What blessings in your finances can you remember and thank God for?
Your relationship with God – What aspects of your relationship with God do you enjoy the most? What do you love about the connection you have? Spend some time being thankful for this.