The first Thanksgiving that I was away from my family, I felt really sad.
I missed the traditions that I was used to.
I missed the dishes that we always ate.
And I missed the people.
I wasn’t feeling very grateful at all.
As I sat pretty quietly at the dinner table, I tried to have a change of heart.
How could I contribute to the atmosphere even if I didn’t feel very grateful?
What could I do to turn things around?
I realized that I had been thinking a lot about myself.
So instead of feeling self-absorbed and sad, I decided to try and focus on making other people happy.
Gratitude is essential.
But I love it when gratitude leads me to think, “How can I better feed or serve the people around me?”
Peter encouraged us:
“Feed the flock of God which is among you. . . .” (1 Peter 5:2)
Many of us doing that literally today— gathering and feeding loved ones.
What a gift!
But looking at it from a spiritual standpoint is so cool, too!
Gather and nourish the people that you love on a spiritual level.
I don’t think that necessarily means preaching at people.
But sharing love, speaking openly of Jesus, and encouraging.
Focusing outward with gratitude.
I completely transformed how I felt on that Thanksgiving when I started trying to give happiness and joy to other people, even when I didn’t totally feel it myself.
Gratitude can help lead us to nourish others.
Happy Studying!
-Cali Black
2 Responses
Thank you, that was lovely
<3