Fall spices. I love them. The aroma of cinnamon throughout the house. The punch to the palate of ginger and cloves. The gritty texture of nutmeg and cardamom. When no one’s looking, I usually double their amounts in any recipe whether it’s pumpkin pie, gingerbread, or molasses cookies. And chai tea lattes? My favorite. 

Sprinkled throughout Scripture like my favorite fall spices are joy, prayer, and thanksgiving. 

But God was thinking more salt and pepper because they’re meant to flavor our lives on an everyday basis. 

Paul stated in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

For the thirty days of November, let’s cultivate a thankfulness habit that costs less than a daily PSL, but tastes just as sweet.

30 Days of Thankfulness

1. Whose quiet service makes your day better? Express your appreciation to that special helper. Pray for them too.

2. Practice a random act of kindness.

3. Pay it forward.

4. Count your blessings. 

5. Find new words to say thanks: appreciate, grateful, indebted, applaud, honor.

6. Be specific. Thank you for _________________. It __________________.

7. Praise in public. Affirm someone in front of others.

8. Share with a friend or loved one your favorite things about them.

9. Write someone a letter.

10. Give some extra encouragement to someone who’s struggling.

11. Go deep. Say what’s on your heart. 

12. Donate to a charity.

13. Tip your server.

14. Honor a helper by serving him or her today.  

15. Volunteer.

16. Write a thank you note. 

17. Express your thanks creatively: draw a picture, write a poem, bake. 

18. Give a small gift. 

19. Pay someone a visit.

20. Send a personalized video. 

21. Listen. Focus on them. Pray for them.

22. Make a gratitude scrapbook.

23. Frame a picture that gives you joy.

24. Share a meal. 

25. Journal your joyful moments. 

26. Fill a gratitude jar with notes of encouragement.

27. Make a gratitude playlist.

28. Recap the good moments of the day.

29. Post an inspirational quote where you can see it. 

30. Play the glad game. No matter how bad the situation is, find something positive, joyful even.

Now, keep it going. For November’s Devour the Bible and Small Bites, click here, but make the above list a family project. Joy, prayer, and thanksgiving produce great harvests, so cultivate them today.