Gratitude Practices
“Thankfulness is a thread that can bind together all the patchwork squares of our lives,” Adele Calhoun wrote. “Difficult times, happy days, seasons of sickness, hours of bliss - all can be sewn together into something lovely with the thread of thankfulness.”
My grandma loves to sew, and when I was younger she, my mom and I made quilts. It was always special when I got to choose the fabric and design. Then, to my childlike mind, magic happened and a quilt was created. A blanket sewn with love, memories and warmth came out of the tattered threads and mismatched pieces of material. Gratitude can do the same in our lives.
Gratitude, living with a thankful heart, can seem idealistic in the world we live in. It can seem out of reach or even fake, yet gratitude is a lifeline to God. It keeps us aware of him and with him, no matter what is happening around us. It helps us treasure people, it keeps God first and idols in their places, and it allows us to see everything we have as a gift.
Gratitude is a discipline that allows us to see God at work in our lives. It allows us to recognize that God is nearer to us than breath. It doesn’t mean everything is perfect but that the Spirit of God is in us. We get to decide to use gratitude to stitch together our lives. Gratitude is a loving and thank-filled response to God for his presence in us and the world. Gratitude is an act of obedience. We see in the Bible again and again the command to live with a thankful heart.
“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good: His love endures forever,” Psalm 136:1.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God,” Philippians 4:6.
We want to learn to practice gratitude in our daily lives. George MacDonald, a Scottish author and minister, said we have to awaken our hearts to God, and the practice of gratitude helps us with that.
Maybe you want to jump into some gratitude practices — if so, there are some ideas below — or maybe you want to reflect first and then jump in. If so, spend some time talking to God about these questions or perhaps some time journaling.
Gratitude Reflections:
When you read Philippians 4:6, what stands out to you? What is the invitation?
How does your mind typically function? Are you naturally full of criticism, analysis and negativity? How might a gratitude practice help?
How has someone who practices gratitude influenced you? How has a negative person influenced you?
What sort of things encourage you in thankfulness? Songs? Writing? Nature? Plan ways of incorporating these into your daily life.
Get a current hardship in mind. How do you feel about it? Talk to God about it — he already knows your true feelings and thoughts. Where is the evidence of God’s presence? Is there anything to be thankful for? If you don’t yet see anything, keep talking to God about it, and tell him its hard to see him there. Spend time with God, let him tell you what he wants you to see.
Gratitude Practices:
Begin a gratitude journal: maybe you decorate the front with things for which you are grateful. Maybe you make one as a family and write in it each day. Write things for which you are grateful. Write what it means that God intervenes in these small and big ways next to each thing. Notice how God blesses you in ways you don’t deserve. Write a thank you to God about these things.
Start a gratitude scrapbook: beside photos and postcards and memories, write a prayer of thanksgiving.
Thank you cards: Showing gratitude to people is powerful. It helps kids articulate what they see in others, helps them think about others, and teaches them that something does not need to be fancy to bless someone. Make a list of people in the community who you are grateful for. Maybe ask about people who do not get much notice but do a lot. Then, make cards and drop them off. My family and I have done one everyday of Thanksgiving week, or one every Sunday of the month.
Thank you baskets: something you can add to this activity is making thank you baskets. It’s the same idea as thank you cards, but you go to the dollar store and get items that would bless the person and drop that off with the letter.
Host a thank you party: Invite people you want to honor with a thank you, theme it and make it fun!
Abstain from certain thoughts, and replace them with gratitude: notice your tendency to compare and the resulting feelings. Practice noticing the comparison and replace it with thanksgiving. Notice the anxiety and replace it with thanksgiving.
Whether you’re reading this as it’s posted in November or further in the year, gratitude and thankfulness are disciplines always worth honing. They aren’t just things to be practiced during the month leading up to Thanksgiving. We can practice these daily to sanctify us and bring us closer to Christ.