Embracing a Spirit of Gratitude

Gratitude is the quality of being thankful and ready to show appreciation for kindness. I think we would all agree to some extent that we do everything entailed here but do we really? Do we just say thank you out of routine or does it come from a genuine heart? Do we look for ways to show gratitude? In other words, are we intentional?

I feel like the holiday season is all about helping us to remember that we should all be grateful. Yes, we are all at different places in our lives and faced similar or different things, but what should not change is our heart posture- the ability to be grateful for what God has done for us and even for Him just allowing us to still be here.

Here are some reasons why embracing a spirit of gratitude influences how you show up for yourself and others.

Gratitude Shifts Your Mind

Gratitude is so powerful that it truly can shift your mindset. It can bring you out of depression and help you take your mind off of your current situation. It can take you back to how God has delivered you or brought you out of some things. Remember, someone has it worse than you. Living in this digital age can cause us to struggle with gratitude because we are always in comparison mode. Find a way to be intentional from the moment that you wake up. For example, when I am tired and do not want to get out of bed and go to work, I start to pray and thank God that I even have a job. I start to think about how I had once prayed for where I am now. It helps me to remember that I still have a purpose.

Gratitude Involves Self-Examination

If you are struggling to embrace a spirit of gratitude, it may be time for you to look at yourself. Think about what God has done for you lately. Think about how God keeps making a way for you. Going through the motions of life can cause us to forget that everything we go through points us to a greater purpose. My life is certainly not everything that I envision it to be, but I know that as long as I trust God with my life and future, He will continue to meet my needs and supersede my expectations. When was the last time you sat and thought about how far you have come? Sometimes forgetfulness is one of the reasons we fall into the inability to tap into gratefulness.

Gratitude is an Act of Planting Seeds

I teach journalism at a middle school and recently we did a school-wide character lesson about what it means to be grateful. The goal of the lesson is to see what students are thinking about as we go into the holiday season, particularly Thanksgiving. We wanted students to understand that people can be a light in their lives but never receive recognition or a thank you for being that.

We ended our lesson by having students take a course of action that involved writing a gratitude gram to a teacher, fellow student, or someone who has impacted them. The gratitude gram was like a card that said “I am grateful for you because……” I received some from my current and past students. I received one from a student that I was just not expecting to receive one from. It warmed my heart because you just never know the impact that you are making on someone’s life.

As I reflect, I think about how the gratitude grams were just words that flowed from someone’s heart. In what ways do you think God is calling you to impact or plant a seed in someone’s life? The activity compelled me to write a gram to some of my colleagues who have helped me along my teaching journey. In my previous role as a reporter, I felt impactful through telling people’s stories. Now in this role, I feel like I not only help students tell stories but also influence them.

Gratitude is Expressed Through Action

One day during praise and worship, my pastor emphasized that worship is a time to show gratitude to God. The passage in the Bible that he referenced was Luke 17: 11-19 in which Jesus heals ten men with leprosy. Leprosy is a disease that shows on your skin and can be evident. It is also called Hansen’s Disease– a chronic bacterial infection that affects the skin, nerves, eyes, and respiratory tract. You can have a rash, sores on your feet, and nerve pain. It spreads through body fluids not necessarily just physical touch.

In the passage, Jesus is traveling to Jerusalem and on his way 10 men are crying out to him asking for Jesus to have pity on them. Jesus gives them permission to show themselves to the priest and along the way, they are healed. However, only one man returned to express his thanks to Jesus. In the video below, I dive deeper into the significance of Jesus healing the men with leprosy.

Let’s think about parents and the many things they do for their children. Parents appreciate a “thank you,” but it is even more impactful when children show their parents they thank them versus just saying it. For example, taking the initiative to clean their room, cook if able to, and no attitude (the big one!).

Gratitude is a Choice

If you ever find yourself finding it hard to tap into the spirit of gratitude, just look around. Being grateful is a choice. Similar to the free will God gives us, we are allowed to do as we please including choosing how we respond to life and those who we come in contact with.

There is a song by the late singer Duranice Pace called “I’ll Always be Thankful”. It captures the heart of Thanksgiving; a lifestyle we should adopt, especially if we profess to be Christians or believers.

In this season, I want you to just stop and think about the people God has placed in your life. Think about when those individuals have spoken life into you, served you, and supported you. Think about whether you just said thanks to those individuals or if you put some action behind your words.

Make the decision to show gratitude. It will influence how you show up daily even in pursuit of your dreams because life is a journey.

So all in all, when Thanksgiving, Christmas, or the first of the year passes, we should never stop being grateful and looking for ways to show and return kindness.

Watch the video below to dive deeper into how you can embrace a spirit of gratitude.

Ready to go after your dreams? Visit the blog about The Power of Thinking Ahead.

Follow the podcast today on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!