Are you ready to experience more peace and joy? How about getting a better night’s sleep? Or feeling better? What if I told you it may be possible to get all of those things. By mastering one habit. Creating a simple habit of thankfulness can transform your life.
I know, it sounds a bit like a gimmick, right? What are you selling? Don’t worry. We have easy things that you can actually do that might help reduce stress and anxiety and help you tune in to God’s blessings. Even during the toughest times and the science agrees with God on this one.
What are you thankful for? What is the first thing that comes to your mind family? Something you own? Friends? Opportunities? Someone asked me the other day and I said the invention of air conditioning. I live in Florida and summer is no joke!
According to an article from the Mayo clinic… Expressing gratitude is associated with a host of mental and physical benefits. Studies have shown that feeling thankful can improve sleep, mood and immunity. Gratitude can decrease depression, anxiety, difficulties with chronic pain and risk of disease. Gratitude can actually change biology. Gestures of gratitude benefit you by releasing oxytocin. A hormone that helps connect to people. Some people call it the love hormone.
If a pill could do this, everyone would be taking it. Your brain is designed to be a problem solver rather than appreciate. You often must override this design to reap the benefits of gratitude. But besides all the health and mental benefits… God, the creator of the universe who knows everything about humans… Tells us to be grateful to.
Gratitude is one of the most transformative habits we can develop as a Christian. It realigns our hearts with God’s goodness, fosters peace and shifts are focused from what we lack to what we already have. The world often encourages us to count our blessings during Thanksgiving season, scripture calls us to a lifestyle of continual thankfulness Here are some ways you can cultivate a habit of gratitude.
Start your day with Thanksgiving.
Before your feet hit the floor. Take a moment to thank God for another day. Acknowledge his goodness and faithfulness in your life. Just say it out loud or think something specifically about it in the shower. This practice sets the tone for the rest of the day.
This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 1:18-24
You can start with something simple.
Thank you God for waking me up today.
Thank you for the gift of breath and health.
Thank you for providing comforts like air conditioning.
Thank you for a job that allows me to meet interesting people and have a place to live and food to eat.
Download a FREE thankful list to help jumpstart your prayers and journal writing.
Keep a gratitude journal.
Writing down what you’re thankful for each day is a powerful tool. It helps you reflect on God’s blessings, even in seasons of struggle. Choose three things every day to write down. They can be as simple as a kind word from a friend or the beauty of a sunset.
Give, thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Thessalonians 5:18
When you review your journal later, you’ll see God’s provision and faithfulness in your life. Which will probably make you feel pretty good. We will all have a down moment. That list can be a great resource for you to reread and help you snap out of the woe is me mindset.
Not a journal person. Totally get it. You can use an app on your phone or your in-home Bluetooth device and dictate a note of gratitude. Or send yourself an email that you can file away in a folder. Siri or Alexa can help you out if you set it up.
Turn complaints into praise. We all have moments when we’re tempted to complain. But what if instead… we paused and found something to thank God for. This practice can transform not only our outlook, but also the atmosphere around us.
Do everything without grumbling or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation. Then you will shine among them, like stars in the sky. Philippians 2:14 15.
Challenge yourself. Every time you catch yourself about to complain, replace it with a prayer of Thanksgiving.
Things like thank you for protecting me.
Thank you for your plan that is different than mine.
Thank you for helping me work on my people skills.
Thank you for helping me actually have people skills.
Thank you for helping me practice loving hard to love people.
Thank you for preventing me from making a poor decision, even though I thought it was something I really wanted.
Meditate on scripture about gratitude.
The Bible is rich with verses about thankfulness. Meditating on them will help renew your mind and build a heart posture of gratitude. Here are a few to memorize or write on a note card or put them on a sticky note on your computer or write them on your bathroom mirror.
Give, thanks to the Lord for he is good. His love endures forever. Psalm 107:1.
I will give thanks to you Lord with all my heart. I will tell all your wonderful deeds. Psalm 9:1.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts. Since as members of one body, you were called to peace and be thankful – Colossians 3:15
Download free Bible Memorization Games and practice tools.
Celebrate God’s provision.
In the old Testament, God often commanded his people to celebrate his provision with feasts and festivals. These moments of celebration served as reminders of his faithfulness. Take time to celebrate the big and small ways God has provided for you.
When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord, your God for the good land he has given you Deuteronomy 8:10.
You could host a gratitude dinner with friends or family sharing testimonies of what God has done in your life. You could even treat yourself to your favorite snack, a day off or grab a friend and go do something fun to celebrate. People can celebrate a blessing through worship or even giving.
There are no rules here. Just thank God however you want to celebrate. Gratitude is not just a feeling… It’s a discipline. It takes intentional effort, but the rewards are immense. As you develop this habit, you’ll find your heart and mind becoming more tuned in to God’s goodness, even in difficult seasons. So start small. Thank God for one thing today. Then let that gratitude ripple into every area of your life.
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed do it all in the name of Lord Jesus. Give, thanks to God the father through him, Colossians 3:17
What’s one thing you’re thankful for today?
Download a FREE thankful list to help jumpstart your prayers and journal writing.
