The Daily: Friday November 28, 2025

Scripture

Let the Chosen One guide you on the path of peace and harmony, and then as his one body this peace will be the guiding light in your hearts as you give thanks to the Great Spirit.

Let the message of the Chosen One become a deep watering hole inside you. It will then become a refreshing spring as you teach and guide one another with wisdom and understanding. You will sing traditional prayers, sacred chants, and spiritual songs, as you dance your prayers before the Great Spirit with glad and thankful hearts.

Every step taken and each word spoken should be done to represent our Honored Chief Creator Sets Free (Jesus), as you dance your prayers and give thanks through him to our Father the Creator.

Colossians 3:15-17

Wildman, Terry M.. First Nations Version: An Indigenous Bible Translation of the New Testament (pp. 370-371). (Function). Kindle Edition.

While the season of Thanksgiving is an opportunity to root ourselves in gratitude, it is also a painful season for indigenous people and those who walk with them. In honor of them, our readings this week will be from the First Nations Version: An Indigenous Bible Translation of the New Testament.

The Science of Sustenance

Here's something that might surprise you: joy doesn't create gratitude - gratitude creates joy (Brene Brown). Research consistently shows that people who practice gratitude don't just feel better temporarily; they experience lasting changes in their overall well-being and outlook on life. Studies have found that healthcare workers experiencing severe burnout saw complete shifts in their perspective within just two weeks of daily gratitude practice. Their circumstances hadn't changed - they still had the same demanding jobs, the same challenges, the same pressures. But their capacity to find meaning and sustenance in their work was transformed.

This reveals something profound about how we're designed. We don't have to wait for perfect circumstances to experience wholeness and joy. We don't need everything to be fixed before we can find reasons to be grateful. Instead, gratitude becomes the very thing that sustains us through both good times and difficult seasons. Think about it this way: gratitude shifts our focus from what we lack to what we have, from what's impossible to what's possible. It doesn't deny reality or minimize genuine struggles. Rather, it helps us live fully in reality while remembering that God's presence accompanies us through all of life's challenges.

When we understand gratitude as sustenance rather than just a nice sentiment, it changes everything. It becomes a source of strength we can draw from when life gets hard, a wellspring of hope that doesn't depend on external circumstances.

Reflection Question
What would change in your daily life if you viewed gratitude not as an obligation, but as a source of sustenance that could carry you through difficult times?

Prayer
God, help me to understand gratitude as not just something I should do, but something that can sustain me. Teach me to draw strength from recognizing the goodness present, even when life is challenging. May gratitude become a wellspring of joy and hope in my life. Amen.