Grow in Gratitude
Thanksgiving time is here. Perhaps you are struggling to find something to be grateful for this year. It would be easy to write 2020 off as a loss, and not find anything redeemable about it.
Below is an exercise taken from the book Less Fret More Faith by Max Lucado. He challenges the reader to grow in gratitude and ponder how positive or negative your thinking is.
- Take a few moments to sit and look around you.
- Find something negative in everything you see.
- Make a list of all the critical and unhappy thoughts that come into your mind.
- Notice how you feel when you are finished and write those feelings down.
Next, Lucado challenges to do the opposite.
- Take a few moments and look around you.
- Find something positive in everything you see.
- Make a list of all the kind, generous, and grateful thoughts that come into your mind.
- Notice the difference.
I would imagine that after you focused on the negative, a heavier feeling came over you, then when you focused on the positive, you felt lighter. What we look for we will find. Scripture tells us, “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8, NLT). When we seek the negative, we will find it, when we seek the positive, we will find it. This Thanksgiving holiday make the effort to focus on positive and gratitude. No, this will not fix everything, but it is a start to bringing some joy and contentment back to a year that may feel devoid of it.
If you continue to struggle with negative self-talk or negative focus, please reach out to us. We are happy to find the right therapist for you and support you through this season.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
-Callie Gross
https://surehopecounseling.com/callie-gross-adolescent-therapy/
