Grumbles, Gravy and Gratitude

I love Thanksgiving for so many reasons! I’m a pretty big fan of the Thanksgiving fare unless the leftovers drag on past two days. After that, done with Thanksgiving. But I don’t want to be done with thanksgiving! I want to have an attitude of gratitude throughout the year.

I would like to get through this Thanksgiving without allowing grumbling. I can grumble about the goofiest of things…long lines at the grocery, busyness, being cut off in traffic or when the gravy doesn’t look like gravy!! You know, all those things that could go wrong with the Thanksgiving meal…too dark, too light, too salty, too done, and too much. Yep, those of us cooking know what I’m talking about. Even cooking can foster a grumble here or there!

Grumbling usually happens for me when what I expect doesn’t turn out the way I expect. We expect one thing to happen, and we get the opposite. And it’s hard not to let everyone know exactly how we feel about that! Not happy.

Grumbling really is about as opposite of gratitude as you can get.  Instead of thanking God for all the amazing gifts, He gives us, we are basically telling God “What You’re doing isn’t enough for me…”.  This attitude and spirit can not only affect our own individual hearts but affect those around us. If you have kids, kids can pick up on adult grumbles and imitate!

What would it look like if you modeled a thankful life? Not just this week, but continually? No more grumbling with our words. No more eye rolls. No more allowing irritations to get the best (worst) of you. No more heavy sighs. Look at your own “go-to” actions when it comes to grumbling. When do you do it? What do you say? How does your heart feel when you engage in grumbling? Stop and consider a better way.

Why not make the holidays a time to engage in spending time with God? When I write in my prayer journal, one thing I try to do is thank God each day for certain things in my life, often the difficult things. When I turn my attitude to a spirit of gratitude and consider what God has done for me, things change in my spirit. I don’t think being grateful is easy. I think it must be learned. We learn by practicing gratitude. Every day, we have an opportunity!

Let gratitude be a part of your day today and each day moving forward. Notice how different you feel. Notice how different others feel around you. Don’t let your grumbles steal your gratitude this Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving!

Nancy Abbott is the Chaplain of the YMCA of Greater San Antonio.