A Great Recipe for a Thankful Heart

Who loves a great recipe? My hand’s raised.

Whether it’s our favorite foods or trying something new, recipes assist in the desired result. Even online dish-and-recipe photos pull us in with the promise of achieving success as the cook.

Every Thanksgiving, I follow a special recipe to make my Grandmother Clarkston’s lemon pie. Yum! It’s my favorite dessert of all time!

Then, as soon as I post pie photos on social media, family and friends, far and wide, ask for the recipe. 

Recipe Measures

Recipes always call for measurements—a cup of this or a tablespoon of that. Likewise, we often make other measures in life. 

Sadly, with Covid-19 numbers rising, some cities and states are limiting Thanksgiving gatherings to no more than ten.

Since it’s one of my favorite holidays, I intend to put several measures in place to ensure a wonderful holiday. 

For instance, I still plan to make mouth-watering dishes for a smaller group of loved ones. And if the day proves beautiful and warm, we’re eating outdoors.

Stirring up a Thankful Heart

But where do we find the recipe for a thankful heart? What ingredients work together to make a heart full of thanksgiving? 

A real thankful heart never comes easy, much less during the difficult year experienced around the world—including my world and perhaps yours.

Because we don’t have to look far to see devastation, need, loss, hurt, lack and hopelessness. 

You see, these factors only affect our heart if we allow it. We decide whether our hearts turn hard toward God or thankful. 

Our circumstances never dictate true thankfulness in our heart.

Our circumstances never dictate true thankfulness in our heart. #Thankful #recipe Share on X

So here are eight ingredients to stir up a T-H-A-N-K-F-U-L heart.

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Look Up When the World Distracts You

I know you’ll enjoy this guest post on how and why to look up by my blogger and author friend, Kelly Balarie. And read to the end to see how to enter a giveway for her latest book.

By Kelly Balarie

I had no idea what was above me.

Because I was focused on the stop sign to the right of me, or the people crossing the street, or changing the radio station in the car that day…I was not caught up in what was above me.

But, suddenly—and I can’t say why—I looked up.

Look Up

There I saw a brilliant display of nature. The sky was gorgeous. It was radiant, blue, red and purple hues strewn all over the sky.

It seemed to convey the brilliance, the majesty and the beauty of God all at once.

Yet, I would have missed it if I had kept my eyes on the million little things happening in front of me. And I would have missed it if distraction had a greater hold on me than my desire to look up.

I would have missed it if I wasn’t aware that there is usually more than meets the eye.

Yet, I looked up. Scripture tells us to look up.

Earthly Focused

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. (Colossians 3:2)

Lately, my focus looks earthly focused. I see politics. I see news articles. And I see what is not happening in my world. Also, I see issues with people. I see problems.

Yet, essentially, God tells me—Kelly, do not set your mind on all that—look up!

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Who God is Equals What God Does: Part 2

Chaos. Uncertainty. Fear. There’s not a better time to really know who God is and what God does than right now in our nation and world.

Because no matter what happens, God wants us to trust that He IS God. 

In part 1, we covered how God is a multi-faceted God and who He is and what He does are one and the same: God is good, kind, loving and merciful.

Although present-day culture zeroes in on these four characteristics of the Lord and ignores others, this limited perspective’s also found among Christians.

But we do ourselves a disservice when we fail to understand the other important aspects of the heavenly Father.

Because a god who’s not equally holy and just, doesn’t meet the requirements for a higher power.

Instead, this god falls on the same level with false gods and mere humans.

So let’s look at four additional attributes.

There’s not a better time to really know who God is and what God does than right now in our nation and world. Because no matter what happens, God wants us to trust that He IS God.  #God #InGodWeTrust Share on X

God is light.

Perhaps you’ve stumbled in the darkness in the middle of the night. This is how I broke my little toe in high school. And there’s the time I ran into the corner of a wall in a hotel room. I sustained a cut right below my eyebrow and still bear the scar. 

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