Grateful

By: Jennifer Thomsen

Thanksgiving is a good time to be reminded we should be thankful. We have much to be thankful for, but sometimes we just don’t have an attitude of gratitude. Teen years are hard, and other girls can be mean.

First Samuel 1 and 2 tells the story of Hannah. Hannah desperately wanted a baby. She went to the temple and pleaded with God. Eli, the priest, thought she was drunk. After talking to Hannah, Eli told Hannah to go in peace, that God would grant her request. God gave Hannah a son, whom she named Samuel.

In Chapter 2, we find Hannah praising God for His goodness. This happens right before she left young Samuel to serve at the temple with Eli. I admit, my heart would have been breaking to know what was about to happen. Yet, Hannah kept a thankful spirit.

Here are some important lessons we can learn from Hannah: she spent time with God. When she had a problem, she took it to God. She let God see her for who she truly was. Hannah didn’t try to hide her emotions; she left it all on the altar. Hannah believed God would answer her prayers, and she put her faith and trust completely in Him.

Since thankfulness is taught throughout the Bible, here are a few suggestions to help us be more thankful.

• For each day in November, list one thing you are thankful for.
• Keep a gratitude journal for a year. List several things each day for which you are thankful. Number your list, so at the end of the year, you can see how many reasons you have to be thankful. Your list should contain things both big and small.  
• Have a thankful jar. Use any container you like and fill it with craft sticks on which you have written things you are thankful for. When you are not feeling thankful, pull a stick and remember God’s blessings.

God wants us to have an attitude of thankfulness. In Luke 17: 11-19, we find the story of Jesus healing the ten lepers. While ten lepers were healed, only one returned to thank Jesus for his healing. I wonder how many times I have been one of the nine who forgot to thank God.