I love the month of November – the month of Thanksgiving. Rather than just thinking of one day to give thanks, what if we set aside the entire month to focus on gratitude?

Paul wrote to the believers living in Thessalonica, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Wow! That’s a tall order at times, right?! I mean, who feels grateful all the time? But, if we’re intentional, we can grow our attitude of gratitude a little bit at a time. The month of November is a great time to do exactly that. The great news is that people who are grateful tend to be happier than those who are not. As I’ve been thinking about this, I’ve come up with a few ways to increase your gratitude this month.

5 Creative Ways to Cultivate Gratitude Through the Month of November

Host a Blessings Party. What if you gather a few of your friends and host a blessings party? Have each friend share how they have been blessed or a significant answer to prayer. As each friend shares, all of you will be blessed. End with a time of prayer and thanksgiving for each other as friends. When we focus on blessing and giving thanks for each other, our gratitude grows. 

Fast Griping and Complaining for the Month. We’re entitled people who feel we deserve for life to go our way. As a result, we often complain when things don’t go as planned. What if you decided to fast and detox your soul from the negativity of complaining? I’m not going to lie – it won’t be easy. We’re so used to complaining that, most of the time, we’re not even aware we’re doing it. 

Thank God That You Can Trust Him When You Don’t Understand. When God answers “no” to our prayers, there’s a reason. While it is disappointing and we can feel grieved, choosing to thank God that He knows best can shift our focus and lift our spirits. We are reminded that perhaps God is protecting us from something or providing in a unique way for our needs. As we give thanks, we begin to understand that every “no” is as big a blessing as every “yes” in God’s economy. Each provides a new opportunity to trust Him more deeply.

Give Thanks for Every Opportunity to Demonstrate Grace to the Difficult People in Your Life. Each of us has challenging people in our lives who require extra measures of grace. Shift your focus from frustration to growth. How might God want to grow you by giving you the opportunity to offer grace? 

Create a List of 100 Things You Are Thankful for Before Thanksgiving. By focusing on what’s good in your life, you will be far less likely to concentrate on the negative. Remember all the ways God has blessed you. Celebrate those blessings by giving thanks, because this is God’s will for you. 

This month, let’s challenge each other to take giving thanks a bit more seriously. Let’s host blessing parties, fast griping and complaining, thank God even when we don’t understand, give thanks for opportunities to show grace, and create a list of 100 blessings. 

Thank you to all of you who agreed to pray as I finish writing Cultivating Deeper Connections In a Lonely World. Keep praying. It is due December 1.

For more on the power of giving thanks and praising God, order a copy of The 30-Day Praise Challenge.

This week on The Connected Mom Podcast our guest is Edie Melson and we’re talking Soul Care for Mama’s. Do you know a Mama who needs a little soul care? Invite her to listen in on any podcast app.