In Everything and for Everyone, Give Thanks

Posted by: Chad Flowers in Relationships on November 27th

It’s Thanksgiving week. Most people I know try their best to get along with family and friends during this time of the year. I don’t know if it’s because they feel guilty after almost a year of snubbing relationships they really don’t want to maintain, or if it’s because this particular holiday season causes them to just be friendlier than usual. Whether we look at all the people in our life with sincere love and appreciation or view them as nothing more than big turkeys to endure, it is time to stop and be thankful for the relationships God has given us.

You don’t get to choose your family, just your friends. Yet, we are affected as much by the relationships we don’t choose as those we purposely choose. So during this Thanksgiving holiday season, I’ve come up with some questions to reflect on:

What are you thankful for about your family?

Have you stopped to think about what habits they have put into you?

If you have a sibling, how would you describe your relationship with him or her?

How much time do you get to spend with grandparents?

Are you close to any aunts, uncles, or cousins?

What can you say you appreciate about your mom?

What can you say you appreciate about your dad?

What are you thankful for about your friends?

How do you choose your friends?

Can you honestly say you have friends who help you be the best you can be?

Do they challenge you? Are they honest with you?

If it’s true that “you can judge a person by the friends they keep,” what does that say about you?

What quality of friends do you have? Mostly acquaintances? Is everyone your best friend? Do you have a few close friends and keep everyone else at a distance?

How do you express your thankfulness to others?

How do you let others know you appreciate them? Do you let others know you appreciate them?

What kind of compliments do you give others? What kind of compliments do you receive?

What is an act of kindness you did for someone else this year or you received that has impacted you?

For whom could you do a random act of kindness during this holiday season?

We all come from different backgrounds. We all have our unique individual stories of relationships that have brought complete joy and those which have brought pure hurt. But this Thanksgiving season, let us strive to obey I Thessalonians 5:18 which reads, “In everything give thanks.” After all, God placed these people in your life, and He knows what the future holds!

Chad Flowers is married to his best friend and teammate, Mendy. He’s a daddy to two incredible little girls, Jadyn and Keira, and one son, Chandler. He lives in Mesquite, Texas where he has a private practice as a licensed professional counselor and serves as pastor of Emmanuel Pentecostal Church.