Gratitude and Thankfulness All Year Round
It’s a season where we talk all about giving thanks and the importance of thankfulness for our families, loved ones, health, and much more. I wanted to talk about thankfulness and gratitude. And why we need to keep this a consistent practice throughout the year not just in November. I hope this blog helps you build some habits that will make a difference in your life and those around you.
Why be grateful and thankful:
“Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.” -Henri Frederic Amiel
Both thankfulness and gratitude are powerful in changing the attitudes of our hearts if we allow them and put them into practice. Thankfulness is the feeling and expression of gratitude. Gratitude is the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. We start with thankfulness in our minds and hearts which leads to our actions with those around us. You need both to get the complete attitude for our hearts.
Habits in thankfulness and gratitude:
I did want to mention some great habits or practices to be more aware of moments to be grateful and thankful that would normally escape you because you were not looking for it or in the rush of your daily routines. I hope this practice becomes a part of your daily routines and changes your perspective. The habit I want to share is that of a gratitude journal. At the end of your day write down 1-3 things that you were grateful for or a moment of thankfulness that you experienced. I do this every night unless I forgot one day. What it has helped with is having a perspective that I am blessed with what I have, and those loved ones around me. Or just enjoy an experience filled with joy. It can also be a way to see that in the hard times the friends that supported me, the mentors that guided me, and that I can choose to hold on to God. Some days are harder than others I need to look for that one thing that I was grateful for and other days I have more than 3 to write down. I encourage you to stick with it because you go through your day with a more positive mindset and your night on a reflective sense of love filling you up for the big and small things in life. At times you might write the same thing repeatedly, for example, I tend to write down how much I am thankful for my parents and my sisters and that’s okay. Why? Because what that allows me to do is share that with them more. This is the second habit I recommend is sharing with others what you’re grateful for and why you’re thankful for them you’d be surprised how much that influences others to do the same in their own lives.
What God’s Word says about thankfulness and gratitude:
Have you ever done something for someone else with the focus of just helping them and not expecting anything back? How did you feel? The times I focused on giving instead of getting I was filled with gratitude because of how God used me at that moment. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT)
It says “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” God calls us to an attitude of thankfulness and most of the time it leads us to want to help and serve others for the love God shows us. We experience both these qualities soon we are called to actions that demonstrate to others that they can be thankful. Colossians 3:15(MSG) tells us to cultivate thankfulness. Giving it plenty of room in our lives and instructs and directs us to do good for one another. What comes soon after both thankfulness and gratitude is a shift that impacts our spirits and that is praise. Psalm 105:1 is a great example as the psalmist starts with thankfulness toward God but quickly turns to praise him.
Psalm 105:1 (MSG)
“Hallelujah! Thank God! Pray to him by name! Tell everyone you meet what he has done! Sing him songs, belt out hymns, translate his wonders into music! Honor his holy name with Hallelujahs, you who seek God. Live a happy life! Keep your eyes open for God, watch for his works; be alert for signs of his presence. Remember the world of wonders he has made, his miracles, and the verdicts he’s rendered— O seed of Abraham, his servant, O child of Jacob, his chosen.”
Ultimately, that’s what our lives should reflect is the character and actions of our attitudes. That our mindsets and everyday routines would pull us to a life of worship toward our creator.
What is one thing that you are thankful for?
