Episode summary
Advent prepares us for Christmas and Lent prepares us for Easter, so why not set aside a season to prepare for Thanksgiving? With about three weeks until the holiday, Scott invites us to observe an unofficial “Advent for Thanksgiving.” Drawing on the parable of the sower, he explores how to cultivate the soil of our hearts, souls, and relationships so that seeds of gratitude can take deeper root. The goal is bigger than one day: to move from giving thanks to living thanks.
In this episode
Why Thanksgiving deserves its own season of preparation
The parable of the sower: making sure gratitude doesn’t fall on a hardened path
Naming the rocks, thorns, and weeds that crowd out gratitude, including complaining, scarcity thinking, taking things for granted, grudges, resentments, and quick judgments of ourselves and others
Trying to go 24 or 48 hours without complaining
A simple reframe: moving from “I have to” to “I am grateful that I can”
Watering the soil by thanking someone every day, whether a stranger, friend, or family member
How a sincere thank-you can help someone blossom, like a wilted flower standing upright again
Offering ourselves gratitude, too, since we can be our own worst critics
The connection between the words “gratitude” and “grace”
Noticing each day’s grace through prayer, meditation, or journaling
Putting on the “glasses of gratitude”
Prayer as simply paying attention
Reflection questions
What rocks, thorns, or weeds might be keeping gratitude from taking deeper root in your life?
What is one “I have to” in your day that you could reframe as “I am grateful that I can”?
Who could you thank today, and what would you want them to know?
What grace did you receive today?
Resources
Self-guided retreat: Look for Scott’s new self-guided retreat on preparing for Thanksgiving, coming to the Living Compass app this week
Living Compass app: Available at app.livingcompass.org
Website: livingcompass.org
About the host
Scott Stoner is a licensed marriage and family therapist and the founder of Living Compass, a spirituality and wellness initiative that helps people make their spirituality their compass in every aspect of their lives.
Resources
Living Compass app: free on iPhone and Android, or at app.livingcompass.org
Website: livingcompass.org
Our Living Compass app is a free mobile app in.phone's app store—search for Living Compass, or find the same content that is in the app online at https://app.livingcompass.org. Reach out if you want more guidance at scott@livingcompass.org.
Connect with Scott
Questions or reflections? Scott welcomes your emails at scott@livingcompass.org
Connect with Scott about this episode or your own journey with integrating spirituality and well-being at scott@livingcompass.org
The Living Compass mobile app with Guided Meditations, Courses, Self-Guided Retreats, and Contemplative Practices is available through any mobile app store (Apple or Google) or online at our web app--here are the links for each.
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/living-compass/id6738334257
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.livingcompass&hl=en
Living Compass is a nonprofit spirituality and wellness initiative helping tens of thousands of people walk toward greater wholeness through the integration of faith and well-being.
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