As Thanksgiving approaches and on the day itself, people will naturally be thinking about thankfulness, and it can be a great opportunity to share about your thankfulness for Jesus! Pray for people you will see throughout the week. As you talk with fellow group members, other friends, coworkers, or neighbors, or as you get together with family, watch for natural opportunities to ask these simple questions:
What are you most thankful for?
For whom are you most thankful?
When do you tend to be the most thankful for what you have?
Other than at Thanksgiving, do you think you are generally a thankful person? Why or why not?
Next, be quiet and listen attentively. Be prepared to ask follow-up questions, but be careful not to interrupt, disagree, judge, or jump in too quickly with your own thoughts or a canned presentation. Instead, wait for the normal social reciprocal question, “How about you?” Then, and only then, respond to the question with “gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).
This post originally appeared in Christian Standard magazine, November 2015.