“Five weeks ago,” my husband perfectly stated, “I didn’t know or care that the human brain has a drain.”
How often do we take for granted things in ignorance? Personally, I wasn’t thankful for mine – because I didn’t even realize I had one.
Fast forward a few weeks, as I sat in the pediatric neurosurgery department holding my tiny baby as the specialists tried to explain why her “drain” isn’t working.
Suddenly, I couldn’t possibly care MORE about brain drains.
I guess it’s true that you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone… or not working.
This journey of way too many doctor visits and endless “what ifs” has gutted my idea of thankfulness.
If I’m perfectly honest, these have been hard days. Dark days. Uncertain days. But they are also days of deep learning.
Our daughter’s prognosis is an uncertain one. She may be fine, and she may need multiple brain surgeries. The specialist literally opened the appointment with the words, “We’re not going to have answers any time soon.” Well thank you Dr. Specialist… I thought that’s why you have that word attached to your name. I can’t find words to explain the sinking feeling of an uncertain medical prognosis.
Maybe you’ve been there and you know the feeling all too well.
Amidst the sinking feelings, the best selling book of all time, (aka the Bible), gives me instructions that cut to my core. “Do not worry about anything, instead pray about everything, tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done. And the peace of God, far beyond what we could understand, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 4:6-7)
I’ve needed these words more than air in these last few weeks.
These are not easy instructions. Sometimes these feel impossible. Telling someone to not worry when they’re in the thick of trial is almost a joke.
But I can say now more than ever that I need God’s peace to guard my heart and my mind.
Maybe you do too. Maybe you don’t feel thankful this Thanksgiving.
What should we do when we don’t feel thankful?
I’m slowly learning… so maybe we can learn together.
Modern brain science shows that every feeling comes from a preceding thought. Feelings literally can’t happen on their own; they are constructs of your previous thoughts.
So my question is – what are we thinking?
Positive feelings can’t come from negative thoughts. Thankful feelings don’t come from crazy-anxious thoughts. It just doesn’t work that way.
This is bad news because I have lots of anxious thoughts… But this is also very good news because I have the power to change my thoughts.
If I simply practice different thoughts, I can experience different feelings. (Yes, it is easier said than done, but that doesn’t change the fact that it works.)
The truth is, every morning, we wake up with a “glass.” Whether it’s half full or empty, the fact is, there’s something in the glass.
It is our choice to see what’s in the glass.
In this season – I’m intentionally choosing to see what’s in my glass. I’m choosing to be thankful for all the good things my baby is doing. In the middle of the night, when I’m more tired than is humanly possible, I pre-decide to be thankful for the next time she wakes me up. I’m pre-deciding to be thankful for each dirty diaper. I’m pre-deciding to be thankful for every feeding she has.
Why? Because it’s the only way I’ll FEEL thankful this Thanksgiving. It has to start with my thinking.
So , what’s in your glass? Have you stopped to look? Maybe pre-deciding is just what you need to prepare for this Thanksgiving.
No matter who you are, I think we can all find a reason to not be thankful this season.
We could miss Thanksgiving among the thought junkyard, or pause for a moment and actually be thankful.
Meet your farmer – Liz Gerdes. She and her husband run a farm-to-table raw milk dairy. They empower moms to confidently feed their families nutrient-dense food using farm fresh milk! Visit gerdesfreshfarm.com or follow her on Facebook @gerdesfreshfarm or Instagram @gerdesliz for more info.
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