Hi, this is Cindy Helton, your host of the Daily Still Podcast.

I invite you to enjoy this encore meditation.

Welcome to the Daily Still podcast, a place to pause.

Here we create space to listen for the whispers of God. I'm your host, Cindy Helton,

and this is a meditation for giving thanks. Gratitude changes us, and as it changes us from within,

it positively impacts those around us.

Thankfulness is contagious and life-giving.

A thankful heart prepares the way for God.

So how do we remain thankful in the midst of hard seasons when life feels broken and disappointing?

Lament and Thanksgiving can coexist.

The Bible is full of examples of people crying out to God with a desperate and honest heart,

asking bold questions, and then declaring, yet I will praise Him.

You too are invited to come to God as you are, with whatever is true about you in the

moment, regardless of your feelings.

So come, let us gather together around the table of our Lord, where honest conversation is always welcomed by the one who knows

us best. Let us express our lament, for we are hurting. And let us remember and count

the ways God has been faithful to show up in our life.

Thankfulness is the beginning of a holy and mysterious exchange.

As we give thanks, God returns a gift of joy.

So find a quiet space, and let's settle in and begin. Take several slow, deep breaths.

Become a while Become aware of God's presence with you.

Listen to the honest words of David, the psalmist, as he pours out his heart before the Lord.

...