Choosing to give thanks

Today is Thanksgiving and this holiday is specifically designed as a day to celebrate all that we are thankful for. But really, thanksgiving is much more than a holiday. Thanksgiving should be an everyday way of life.

Now, I don’t always get it right and I have tough days just like everyone else but there is one thing that reminds me to be thankful. Social Media. That’s right, social media. Social media allows us to see and express so many different opinions, thoughts and ideas. And because of the personal disconnect (you aren’t talking directly to 1 person) it’s easy to say things you might be thinking but wouldn’t always say out loud.

So how, you might ask, does social media remind me to give thanks?

About 2 years ago I noticed that a majority of my social media sharing was just complaining.
“The kids woke up too early.
I’m cold.
We don’t have any money.
I’m hungry.
The boys are destroying the house.
Joe didn’t do the dishes.”
It was really self preserving. I wanted people to feel sorry for me. I wanted people to agree with me and tell me that life just sucks. It was all so very tiresome. So, one day I made a conscious decision that I would only share things that were uplifting and edifying. Every time I logged on I had to make a conscious decision about what I was going to share. Would this encourage someone, make someone laugh, give someone hope? Does it honor my family, does it honor God? Will people feel better after they read what I’ve posted?

Now I won’t post something fake or forced. If I’m having a rough day I probably won’t post anything at all. Sometimes I may post a humorous take on a stressful situation (like the time Noah flooded the bathroom or when our car repeatedly broke). Occasionally, I may share some challenging things. Subjects I feel deserve attention, like homelessness, hunger, pain in the world… but I try to make sure the things that deserve attention are the focus of what I’m sharing… not my judgement or opinion.

Making an effort to be conscious about what I share on social media has helped me to have a more thankful heart. My social media practices have spilled over to my day-to-day life. As I’m washing the dishes I may roll my eyes and wonder why the boys have to use a new cup EVERY.TIME.THEY.GET.A.DRINK but then I remind myself how blessed we are to have clean and easily accessible water to drink.

We all have our differing opinions on politics, parenting, diet, lifestyle, etc… And we all have our passions. Passions are great but the way we approach and share our passions speaks loudly about the state of our heart. So this Thanksgiving holiday let’s make a decision to live a life of thanks… one easy way to start is on social media.