Five Ways to Practice Gratitude Today
Gratitude isn't a spontaneous change, but rather a spiritual discipline that is cultivated over time, like prayer or fasting. Investing time and effort into becoming a grateful person will reap blessings for years to come.
Have you ever met someone who really made an impact on you? Someone you met for the first time but left that encounter thinking, “I really wish I was more like that person.”
A woman I met like that was a former missionary by the name of Helen Reiff. She came to Honduras to speak at a ladies’ meeting, and her example had a profound impact on my life. Along with her incredible stories from her years as a single missionary, she radiated an inner joy that inspired me and led me to make changes in my own life. Seeing her gratitude and joyfulness in her eighties inspired me to begin implementing lifestyle changes in my thirties.
She recounted, with much laughter, some lonely days she faced serving as a missionary. In order to overcome her melancholiness, she set a McDonald's mug out on her kitchen counter every evening that said “Good Morning.” She would wake up, go out to her kitchen, and cheerily say, “Well, good morning to you, too.” She found creative ways to take difficult situations and exhibit gratitude, even if it was just for a coffee mug.
Grateful people are refreshing to be around, but they do not arrive there by accident. Gratitude is a discipline, and just like prayer, meditation, and other spiritual practices, it must be chosen daily. It requires intentional focus and training of the heart to notice God’s goodness instead of grumbling over what’s missing. Over time, the practice of thankfulness has the power to reshape our outlook.
Another incredible example of this for me is Joni Eareckson Tada. Although a diving accident as a teenager left her with severe health problems and physical handicaps, she has exemplified a public life of joy and service to others in the midst of great loss and pain. In regards to thankfulness she once said,
“There’s a big difference between feeling thankful and giving thanks. One response involves emotions, the other, your will. Trusting God has nothing to do with trusting feelings.”
As we enter this Thanksgiving season, maybe you don’t feel especially grateful. If so, here are a few ways to practice giving thanks.
Practice #1: Start and End Each Day with Gratitude
Years ago, a preacher encouraged our church to begin each day with a certain phrase before we even opened our eyes. To my own surprise, I still remember and repeat it most mornings. Before your eyes open each day, think of one thing you’re grateful for and whisper it to God. It sets the tone for the rest of your day.
Practice #2: Keep a Gratitude List
Whether it’s on your phone, a set of flashcards, or a paper on the fridge, keep adding to your gratitude list every time you notice an answer to prayer, big or small. Be creative and find a method that works for you, something simple enough that you’ll maintain.
Practice #3: Pray with Thanksgiving Through the Psalms
Sometimes it’s hard to get our hearts in tune for gratitude when we pray. Try choosing a Psalm and reading through it, thanking God for every attribute or promise you find. The Psalms are full of reminders that gratitude flows from remembering who God is.
Practice #4: Speak Gratitude Out Loud
This is something I’m continually working on in my own life. Make a habit of thanking the Lord out loud for His provisions. Express gratitude to your family for the countless ways they help and serve. Let your friends know the specific qualities you appreciate about them. And above all, speak gratitude about people to others. Instead of slipping into gossip when someone leaves the room, choose to share something you’re thankful for about them. Spoken gratitude has power.
Practice #5: Practice Thankfulness in Difficult Moments
As one author put it, “When life is sweet, say thank you and celebrate. When life is bitter, say thank you and grow.” The habit of thankfulness is perfected through continual practice, especially in unpleasant circumstances. When life feels heavy, choose to thank God as an act of faith. Gratitude turns our eyes from what’s wrong to the One who can make all things right in His time.
Gratitude doesn’t ignore how difficult life can be, and it’s not pretending everything is perfect. It’s proclaiming that no matter what happens, God is still good. As we practice the discipline of thanksgiving, we find that our joy deepens, our peace grows, and our heart becomes a living testimony to the goodness of God.
Colossians 3 calls us to “give thanks to God in everything.” May the Lord help us practice that spirit of gratitude today, so that by the time we are in our eighties, like Mrs. Reiff, our hearts will already be trained to thank Him in every circumstance.
