Last November I shared that the period between Halloween and Thanksgiving has tended to be a pensive season for me. As the year begins to wind down, I like to sit with the memories and lessons of previous months before turning my focus to the coming year. While such examination can certainly be beneficial, these moments of reflection are too often derailed by unhealthy rumination over my personal shortcomings and failures. If given permission, the darkness that lingers within me can bubble to the surface, threatening to override any value that can be derived from my introspection.

I haven’t mastered preemptive measures for keeping this depression at bay. However, one foolproof darkness repellent (when I remember to use it!) is to be intentional about viewing my past, present, and future through a gratitude filter. When I spend time contemplating life’s blessings—looking for beauty and light within the most reprehensible actions and disappointing circumstances—I’m left with very little time or energy for self-condemnation and regret.

My verse selection for this Thanksgiving month might be an obvious choice, but it is my hope that making this passage my mantra for November will help transform my moments of doubt and despair into opportunities for praise. I have much to be thankful for, and I am so blessed to serve a God who is infinitely worthy of my gratitude and praise.