Gratitude aligns us with the will of God
It’s a fair bet that all of us, at some point in our lives, have found ourselves wondering about God’s will for our lives. Every so often, we hit those crisis moments; the trail forks and we wonder if God would have us follow the left path or the right… or does he want us to double back? Maybe he would have us break away altogether and start crashing through the undergrowth!
In these moments, I’ve always found comfort in a little Scripture verse found in I Thessalonians Chapter 5. While it may not speak to the direction I should take in this or that particular situation, it absolutely addresses the manner in which I should make my choice.
“…in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (ESV)
In everything give thanks! Whether we choose to go left or right or even experience the agony of retracing our steps, we can know with certainty that doing it with a grateful heart is the will of God.
Gratitude expands our perspective
In my own experience, I’ve found that gratitude has a powerful way of clearing the fog, allowing me to see more clearly where I am. Gratitude forces my thoughts away from myself, away from my problems, away from my pain, and it directs my attention outward. Whether my thankfulness is directed outward to those around me or outward to the Lord himself, that outward shift in attitude is always a win. In fact, I would suggest that it is impossible to maintain selfish or fearful thoughts while one is being grateful. Gratitude is a clean and refreshing wind blowing through the stagnant, self-centered caverns of our souls.
Gratitude transforms our daily lives
As I mused about gratitude and its role in our lives, I couldn’t help but seek out our own Middle School teacher, Carri Svoboda. Back in January 2013, Ms. Svoboda began a new habit: keeping a daily gratitude journal. Her first entry read: “Beginnings and fresh starts. I am grateful that we have an endless number of opportunities to start fresh, to begin again. We don’t only have new years and new seasons. We have new beginnings every day.” Her original inspiration was to see if she could hit the 1,000-entries mark.
Eight years and 17 filled-out journals later, Ms. Svoboda is currently nearing entry number 12,500. In her words, “I’ve discovered not just that I am grateful, but that expressing gratitude creates a more grateful heart. Keeping a record of blessings has not only transformed my perspective on each day, but it has transformed me.”
A practical guide for focusing on gratitude
Ms. Svoboda gave me some pointers to share for those who might consider beginning a practice to focus on gratitude:
- Embed it into an existing ritual or begin one—a cup of tea (or coffee) never hurts. I write my list in the mornings because that is when I practice the spiritual disciplines of meditation, prayer, and study. But I could just as easily create a nighttime ritual or a mid-day ritual. It just needs to be a time to which you can commit.
- Nothing is off limits. If you are grateful for the morning sunshine, that is just as valid as being grateful for your children. It is the gratitude, not the degree of gratitude that matters.
- If you miss a day, who cares? This is for you, not for a grade. Writing in your gratitude journal is not securing your place in heaven. This is about your transformation, not your salvation.
- If you have children, it could be a rich and wonderful experience to keep a list as a family. Maybe it is something you do at the dinner table each night and you keep track in a family gratitude journal.
With all of these encouragements, the only thing left for us to do is to join in. You don’t need to be particularly skillful, intelligent, or even practiced; a six-year-old child can begin this habit just as well as a sixty-year-old adult.
How else to close these thoughts but with sincere thanks? I thank the Lord for the good community I enjoy each and every day, a community I too often take for granted. I thank him for planting me in a place where learning is valued and people are cherished.
What are you grateful for today?
