Be Thankful–Remember What God Has Done

“I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.” Psalm 9:1 (ESV) 

Thanksgiving seems to be a good time to reflect on what God has done for us, positive memories, blessings, and just things in general for which we’re thankful (for us U.S. folks anyhow!).  When my kids were younger, I used try to find some type of Thanksgiving craft-like activity each year to do this with them.

Sometimes we’d write down things we we’re thankful for on construction paper feathers and then glue the feathers to a paper turkey.  Sometimes we’d do the same thing on paper leaves and post leaves around as decoration, and we’d even made paper link chains before where each link listed an item of thanks (this encouraged them to think of more than just a few items in order to have a chain long enough to hang!).  Previously, I also posted several ways to try to stay thankful like this year round.

Remember 3 things God has done

When I teach at Glory House I do an activity with them somewhat similar to these Thanksgiving activities (even when it’s not Thanksgiving time).  Unfortunately, I can’t take credit for the idea though!  I think I first heard this tip from one of our pastors at church years ago.  I was taught to write down 3 things that God has brought me through, brought me to or delivered me from. They could be what God has done through victories, ways God has come through for me or has been faithful to me, answered prayers, etc.  I was then told to keep this list handy and reflect on it or refer back to it when I’m going through a rough time when things seem hopeless or bleak.

The ladies love when we do this activity.  They also usually come up with more than three, but three things are typically pretty easy to come up with and recall.  It’s just a good way to remember what God has done.  It helps us to think positively and gives us the mindset “He did it before.  He’ll do it again.” or “He helped me with that.  He’ll help me with this too.”

Remember what God has done by finding a symbol

I also remember another tip that my sister shared with me that took that list a step further.  This strategy involved finding some type of tangible symbol to act as a cue or trigger to symbolize one of these three things or to represent what God has done.  In Weight Watchers we did something similar too called anchoring.  In our meetings we would sometimes have “show and tell”, and people would bring their anchors.  Some of the items people brought included photos, pins, charms, and key chains.

When my sister first shared this strategy with me, we sat and talked about it for a while, and she gave me a personal example of what God had done for her.  Many years ago she was going through a very emotional divorce.  One day she was sitting out on the trampoline with her kids, and she started having somewhat of an attack on her thought life.  She said some of the thoughts were her own, but she was sure some of it was from the devil too.  She was having thoughts like, “He left me.  Nobody loves me.  I’ve lost romance now.  I’ve lost somebody who sends me flowers and gives me gifts.  I’ll never have someone to send me flowers again.”

She said that right at moment, she heard in her head, “Look up.  Look to the field.”  She has several acres of land where she lives, and she looked up to the field at her property.  There on her land was an entire field of sunflowers (which just happens to be her favorite flower).  She heard, “You don’t need a man to bring you flowers.  I planted a whole field of them for you.  I planted them just for this moment.”  She said she then had the realization that God would have had to have planted them a long time ago for them to be in bloom right at this very moment.

He knew what her needs were before she did, and He had already made plans for them in advance.  She later used a photo of a field of sunflowers for her desktop background as her visual reminder of God’s tangible love for her.  With her permission, I share this story often because it had such and impact on me (it still makes me cry!).

Some of my “symbols”

One of my “symbols” of what God has done for me is my daughter.  15 years ago, to this very week actually, I experienced a miscarriage.  It was a pretty hard blow to take just two days before Thanksgiving when I was supposed to stay thankful for all of my blessings.  Needless, to say it was kind of tough.  I was thankful for my son because he really was a blessing, but my husband, Eric, and I were really looking forward to having another child.

Later that next year we were able to get pregnant again.  I prayed and thanked God every day of my pregnancy, and I would put my hands on my belly every day and say “Thank you God that I have a happy, healthy baby growing inside of me.”  God delivered just that.  Now I have a beautiful little girl that is a tangible symbol of what God brought me through and brought me to.

My tattoo ring is a reminder to me of what God has done in my marriage

I also wear another symbol as a reminder of what God has done for me.  10 years ago, my marriage was in a very, very broken place.  I can honestly say that was the toughest and worst time of my entire life.  However, I was never alone.  God was with me every step of the way and gave me the grace to make it through.  God healed and restored my marriage.  Next week, Eric and I will celebrate 21 years of marriage. 🙂  For our 15 year anniversary, we celebrated by getting ring tattoos.  That tattoo is a very permanent reminder not only of my love and lifelong vow to my husband, but as a reminder to me that God saved my marriage.  I chose to get a cross to always remind me of that, and to remind me that no matter what, God can bring me through anything.

Take Some Practical Steps to Remember What God Has Done:

• Make a list of 3 things that God has brought you through, brought you to or delivered you from.

Keep your list handy and refer to it when you’re having a rough time.  You might even consider sharing your list this Thanksgiving and/or Christmas season and encourage your family to make their list as well.

“I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds.” Psalm 9:1 (ESV) 

“Remember the wonders he has performed, his miracles, and the rulings he has given” Psalm 105:5 (NLT) 

“Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced” 1 Chronicles 16:12 (NIV)

• Find a tangible symbol to act as a cue or trigger to symbolize one of these three things.

You don’t have to get a tattoo though! 😉  It could be something as simple as a keychain or image/wallpaper on your phone.  Be sure to pick a symbol that you can see often so that it can serve as a constant reminder that God is faithful.

“Understand, therefore, that the LORD your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands.” Deuteronomy 7:9 (NLT)

• Never forget that if you will let Him and trust in Him, God will bring you through whatever it is that you go through, that He will bring you to a place of prosperity and hope, and that He can deliver you from any hardship or heartache. (more here on getting through a hard time)

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

God bless and have a wonderful Thanksgiving! …And remember what God has done!

What will be your tangible symbol of what God has done?  Tell us about it by leaving a comment below.

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If you have benefited from this post or if you know anyone that could benefit from this, please pay it forward and share this post with them via the sharing links below! “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV) 

**Updated: Originally posted 11/24/2015