thankfulness – Sarah Bebes Blog

It comes very easily to me, unfortunately. I’m talking about the tendency to complain. How about you? I am trying to consider what my whining about something will add to the conversation. Nothing helpful is the obvious answer. If something is bothering me, I want to change it rather than complain about it. My aim is to develop a habit of thankfulness.

There are so many things to be grateful for! You are invited to join me in this endeavor by writing down one thing you are thankful for each day in November.

“Grumbling slowly hardens our hearts, and worship slowly aligns our hearts with God and his promises. Hard hearts lead to judgement and unrest, but worship leads us to joy and eternal rest.” – Rebecca Faires

Happy (early) Thanksgiving, and thank you for reading this!

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever.” (Psalm 118:29)

Sheep have never helped me. They’re very cute, but they’ve been no help at all. Have you ever had trouble falling asleep? It seems that especially now, as we are walking through this pandemic, this may be an issue for some. When it happens to me, counting sheep is not a solution. So, I do something I like better that I call the ABZ’s.

My son, Dan, and our pups took a break by a sheep/goat farm.

Here’s how it works. If I find myself lying awake in the night, first I pray and give everything over to God. Sometimes it’s as simple as that, because I didn’t realize something was on my mind. If I’m still lying awake, I think of a topic and go through the ABC’s, giving thanks for something that starts with each letter. For example, I started out with an easy one and picked food. I thanked God for apples for A, banana bread for B, chocolate chip cookies for C, donuts for D, and so on. Please don’t judge my food choices! Generally, I am sleeping long before I reach Z. This is good, because Z is always a tough one!

You can think of many different, creative options, and it turns your mind to gratitude. This is always a good thing. Let’s cultivate an attitude of gratitude. Some other ideas for the ABZ’s are people you’re thankful for, vacation or holiday memories, places you’ve been, and on and on. What topics can you think of? Please share your ideas. Recently I went through the ABZ’s, giving thanks for good things that have come out of this Covid 19 pandemic. It’s amazing how much there is to be thankful for!! Just thought I’d share this, in case any of you also have an occasional bout of wakefulness when you should be sleeping. Of course, if counting sheep works for you, have at it. Happy dreams!

Cultivate an attitude of gratitude.

“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Below are just a few subjects of my thankfulness.