I’m quick to dismiss a thank you. Chalk it up to niceness, and spin it negative. What you really mean to say is I’m stubborn, impulsive, and a perfectionist. Or I’ll downplay it as nothing because it was less than what I’d intended and undeserving of thanks. That, or I’ll redirect the conversation back to you because the attention makes me squirm a little inside.

It took a conversation with a handful of neighbors for me to name it aloud to any other besides my husband. We meet midweek over lunch hour and practice letting each other in. As in, to the down-beneath things that spin us toward or away from God. The lies we’re exchanging for God’s truth. The practices that keep our heads up and our hearts in the right place. Nicole Unice’s The Struggle Is Real study is a perfect launch pad for these honest conversations.

If you’ve joined us for the November Thank Somebody Challenge, you’ve been writing a lot of thank yous. Mailing cards, leaving notes, sending heartfelt texts or voice messages for the people who matter to you. But for some of us, that part feels natural. What’s a whole lot harder is when the thank you comes our way.

Whether you’re completing the challenge or not, let’s talk thank yous and how to get better about accepting them. With grace, grit, and humility, because honestly, it takes all three. Tune in for four practices that are helping me with this.

 

Links mentioned:

1. Get the prompts for the Thank Somebody Challenge HERE! I'll send them with directions.
2. More on knowing God on our knees HERE.
3. Want to know the songs I play on repeat? Grab my playlist HERE.  
4. Follow @stuffidonlytellgod on Instagram—and grab a copy anywhere books are sold.
5. Get a sneak peek of my pocket-sized devotional, Cultivating a Missional Life, HERE. If you want the rest it’s $4.99 on Kindle or $6.99 for the paperback. Grab the bonus 30-day missional living challenge (free with a purchase) to get the most out of the devotional.
6. Read the written version of this episode HERE.