It's first thing Monday morning, and I am sitting at my desk ready to write an article on Thanksgiving. I turn on my computer and...it won't start Windows. Great. 2 hours later, I decide to switch to another computer so I can get this written. Nothing like a computer to test your "attitude of gratitude".

Maybe it's more appropriate to say that this is an article about worry. For a follower of Christ, we are told not to worry, but it's not something that comes naturally. When circumstances start to press in on us, our human mind begins to fall back into the old habit of thinking it over, trying to find a solution, and allowing anxious thoughts to take over. Is it really possible not to worry?

Philippians 4:6 tells us "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God". Prayer is the antidote to worry. We are to present our requests to God and leave them with Him. I believe that when our prayers and petitions are made with thanksgiving, we will find ourselves worrying less and fulfilling God's command to rejoice in all things will be easier.

Thanksgiving takes practice if your natural tendency is to worry and try to figure your way out of a situation. What a better time to start practicing than on Thanksgiving weekend? I would like Thanksgiving to become a habit, and like anything, it requires diligent effort and attention for 21 days for a habit to form. Brainstorm some ideas to get started, and to practice over the next few weeks.

If you're serious, you could even write a contract out for yourself, committing yourself to 21 days of practicing Thankfulness.

Here's some ideas I came up with: at your Thanksgiving dinner, begin a new family habit of reciting things you are thankful for that happened during the day. You could even play a game with your family, and take turns naming something you're thankful for. Each person think of something new and if someone repeats what has already been said, they're out. Don't limit yourself to the dinner table - give yourself checkpoints during the day to stop and be thankful.

Meal times are natural breaks, and of course we give thanks before we eat, but what if you challenge your family to say something other than the usual prayer? If you have a routine in the morning or before bed, add a time of reviewing what you're thankful for to that routine. The key is, find a way to make thanksgiving a habit and then stick to it.

We all connect with God in many ways. Nature is my way, and my heart bursts out in praise just by walking through a forest or taking in a hilltop view.

I always go on a Thanksgiving day hike with my kids and use this as a Gratitude-review. You may connect with God in other ways: through art, poetry, architecture, sensory prayer, or many other things. Whatever it is, find ways to plug this into your schedule and use it to practice being thankful. God has blessed you with so many good gifts, and He loves to hear us praise Him for His goodness.

I want this Thanksgiving to be a new start for me, and for my family, in creating a new Attitude of Gratitude that I hope will last a lifetime. If you are truly thankful, worry will have trouble sticking to you.

You cannot be engaged in worry and be thankful at the same time - try it! I hope that you will find a change in heart and that "peace that passes understanding" that comes from letting God take care of our worries and cares.

Happy and Blessed Thanksgiving to you and yours.