Because Sometimes We Need To Be Reminded

It's that time again. The season of Thanksgiving. The season of daily "I am thankful for...." posts on social media.

Today's post is a reposting from a few years ago, because, in spite of what our social media may lead us to believe, we don't always look like or sound like or act like very thankful people. We spend far more time complaining than we spend giving thanks. We spend far more energy stressing over the not-as-we-might-like-it-to-be things in our personal lives or our family or our world than we spend being thankful for the as-we-like-it things in life. We even look a little grumpy more often than we look happy or joyful or thankful.

Why is that? That's really the question, isn't it?

Perhaps the problem is that we spend too much time focusing on what's wrong rather than on what is right. Perhaps we are spending too much time focusing on what we don't have rather than what we do have.

Perhaps we need to be reminded of just how blessed we really are!

Here are a couple of my favorite quotes on the subject, along with a couple of favorite Scripture verses. Perhaps these reminders will help us get our focus where it needs to be. Perhaps they will help to remind us of all the reasons we have for being truly thankful. Because sometimes we all need to be reminded.

"When we learn to give thanks, we are learning to concentrate not on the bad things, but on the good things."  (Amy Vanderbilt)

"Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many, and not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some."  (Charles Dickens)

"Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things."  (Philippians 4:8 NASB)

"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name.  Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits."  (Psalm 103:1-2 NASB)