It’s that time of year for gratitude to be on the front of minds. Thankfulness truly is a beautiful thing. I was hit this Thanksgiving morning with the temptation to step alternatively into un-thankfulness and regret. It’s the practice to combat this feeling I’d like to talk about briefly.

I woke up after one of those nights when you find yourself in and out of sleep over the course of the night hours. You know, the one where you’re not sure when you started or stopped dreaming. It was one of those.

My dreams were reminding me of things that once were. Past relationships and previous places. The life I used to live. It’s from that place that I found myself journaling before the Lord this morning.

I gave myself a few minutes to write out what those dreams were bringing up in me. Then I chose to be intentional in thankfulness. And not like the “thank you for everything, amen” prayer. No, it was deeper than that – it was specific. There’s something to specificity that adds depth to the practice of gratitude.

Thinking about some people close to me, I began to thank the Lord for specifics about them. My heart began to shift – there is so much to be thankful for. See, life hurts sometimes. We accumulate scrapes, cuts, and scars over the years, and there are disappointments and hurts and wounds we pick up along the way as well.

There’s one verse I want to leave you with, friend. It’s from the words of Paul, he says, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

I’m not sure where these words are finding you today. Maybe you’re filled with hope and expectation or maybe there’s a lingering sadness and thoughts of the past. Regardless, Paul gives us a charge to respond. It’s one of rejoicing and praying and being thankful.

Try this out today. Be specific. I had a truly special time this morning thinking through why I was thankful for people and circumstances. It forced me to jog my memory and revisit times joy. It allowed me to create space to think about qualities of my friends and family that make me smile.

I did this in my journal as a prayer to the Lord and continued the practice about God Himself. If you’re anything like me, there are some things of the past that are confusing and hard to think about, but there’s also so much good to be seen. I was hit with a stream of gratitude as I wrote out things I was thankful for about the Lord and how He’s provided for me in the past.

Friend, thankfulness requires intentionality. I want to encourage you to spend five or ten minutes today and think through specifics. Find a person or two in your mind and expand on why you’re thankful for them. Consider a time God clearly provided for you and linger there for a moment. Slow down, look around, even amidst hardships and pain there’s reason to rejoice, pray, and be thankful.