Thank you. Two simple words that can bring on a smile and nourish a soul.

We use them to acknowledge the person who opens the door for us. Or to appreciate our spouse for staying home to wait for a delivery from Restoration Hardware so we can attend a baby shower.

Hopefully, for most of us, it’s easy to say thank you. It’s become one of our “good” habits.

But as we approach this Thanksgiving, I’ve been thinking. I wonder if we’ve gotten so used to saying the words and celebrating the holiday, we’ve become immune to what it means to live a thankful life – which is entirely different than saying thanks once in a while.

You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 2 Cor. 9:11-12, NIV (emphasis mine)

Perhaps the ultimate way of expressing gratitude is not in what we say or how often we say it – even to God – but in what we do for others. Doing thanks.

That might mean opening up our Thanksgiving dinner to a few more than what we planned on. Or not complaining if our turkey is a tad overdone. Or being purposeful in complimenting the chef.

And one more thought. You might have heard the saying: “It’s not happy people who are thankful; it’s thankful people who are happy.” I agree. But I wonder how many of us have been trying to have a thankful attitude in hopes to achieving happiness, only to be frustrated ‘cause we’re still not all that happy. I know I have.

But what if we’ve had it all wrong? Maybe doing thanks instead of simply thinking thanks is what we’ve been missing. And what might get us our desired happy-ending result.

Being the happy-seeking junkie that I am, I’m willing to give it a try! Are you with me?

Wishing you an awesome Thanksgiving filled with lots of thankful doing,

Sherri