Have you ever struggled with thankfulness? Oh, it’s easy to spend the month of November hashtagging #thankfulgratefulblessed or #30DaysofThanksgiving and sharing how perfectly thankful we are for the blessings in our lives–on social media. But what about living a consistent life of gratitude, with hearts abounding in thanksgiving?
How about just one year of thankfulness? Could we do it?
365 days.
8,760 hours.
525,600 minutes.
of THANKFULNESS.
When I reflect on the number of minutes I demonstrated thankfulness over the past year, I feel like an ungrateful wretch.
I take countless blessings for granted every day. Sure, I may spend 10-20 minutes reflecting on God’s goodness and faithfulness, but what about the rest of the time? Too often, I allow myself to be consumed by the pressures of daily life. I get frustrated about my endlessly messy house, bickering kids, traffic, work stressors, bills, and other pressures of life.
Why is it so much easier to be frustrated than thankful? What if instead of losing my marbles over something, I say:
- Thank you, God, for the blessings all over my floor.
- Thank you, God, for the mound of clothes that protected my family this week.
- Thank you, God, for the abundance of food all over my floor, table, kitchen, and dishes.
- Thank you for the
screamssounds of children. - Thank you for this opportunity to extend grace and mercy (instead of wringing their neck).
- Thank you for the chance to grow in patience (and control my anger).
- Thank you for teaching me to find joy even in sorrow.
- Thank you for empowering me to love like Jesus.
- Thank you for helping me to live with peace in the midst of chaos.
- Thank you for the opportunity to practice gentle words in stressful situations.
- Thank you for the comfort of the Holy Spirit as I mourn.
Today, I pray God gives me the strength to practice the art of thanksgiving in every situation.
So lift your hands and thank God for his marvelous kindness and for all his miracles of mercy for those he loves. How he satisfies the souls of thirsty ones and fills the hungry with all that is good! Psalm 107:8-9 TPT
FUN FACT:
Research indicates it takes 21 days to form a new habit. To help us form a habit of consistent thanksgiving, I created a 21-day gratitude prayer journal with scriptures and journal prompts, as well as other fun resources to cultivate grateful hearts in our homes.
I’d love to hear how you cultivate a thankful heart.
Be sure to share this post on social media for your family and friends too. They can join you in creating a new habit of thanksgiving this holiday season!
Grab your FREE Gratitude Galore Bundle:
Paul actually wrote this to the Christians in Thessalonica. They are words written for us as well: “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). President James Madison offered a mere pleasantry to a man who probably did nothing to help him in all his suffering. But this is not what God was asking of the Thessalonians or us as Christians. Give thanks simply means give thanks – even when distressed and suffering. No platitudes or pleasantries but rather a sincere “thank you” to God in, yes, everything is to be offered. So how do we as Christians honestly do this?