A Mini Thanksgiving Retreat
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name!
For the Lord is good;
his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations.”—Psalm 100:4-5 (ESV)
For us here in the States, November and December are often full of special gatherings and perhaps even additional events. Personally, I (Vera) have often felt overwhelmed, thinking I need to at least maintain, if not improve, on what I’ve done last year. Needless to say, this does not bring joy! Instead, the holidays have often been a time of discouragement (which is why I wrote the blog post on “Walking Through Darkness” for myself).
For that reason, I have begun to intentionally carve aside some time before the busy season begins to prepare my heart. If you also struggle with this, or simply want to start your holiday season with a God-centered perspective, we hope you can mix-and-match some of these ideas to create your own mini-retreat to start this season anchored in the joy of the Lord. Or use the list to help you find simple ways to turn your heart towards thankfulness in this busy season.
Take time to worship and thank God with hymns like “Great is Thy Faithfulness” or other favorites to turn your heart to His goodness. Idea: Create a playlist (like this one from Dan, also embedded below) to help you in this season to remember His kindness to you through the gospel.
Meditate on Psalm 16. How is the gospel God’s ultimate good gift to you (v. 2)? How does it reframe how you see God’s blessings, including those things that are difficult or painful? Ponder on how the the Lord has made the lines of your life fall in pleasant places (v. 6). How has God counseled and guided you this past year (v. 7)? Are there saints He has sent to help you (v. 3)?
If you like writing, consider writing your own psalm of thanksgiving, filling in Psalm 16 with your own specifics.
Spend time in lament in the areas of difficulty. Be honest with God about how life has not turned out as you wished. When you are ready, turn your sadness to the Lord in faith and trust.
Confess the areas of your heart where you have believed He is not good, forgotten Him, or relied on yourself or others. Thank Him for the truth of 1 John 1:9, that in Christ, you are forgiven for these.
Take the time to thank someone in your life for the way they have reflected Christ to you this year—in person or through a text, email or handwritten note.
May you enjoy a rich time of remembering God’s goodness in your life that will carry you through this holiday season and beyond.