Gratitude
- Meghan Matthews
- May 1, 2020
- 3 min read
Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live.
What it is:
Gratitude as a spiritual practice is one where we actively respond with thankfulness toward God and his presence in everything we do. Cultivating a grateful heart means that we choose to see that God is at work even when it doesn’t feel like it.
Jesus shows us how to be grateful many times in the bible, but one of my favourites is near the end of the story of feeding the 5000 (Mark 6: 30-44). The disciples have just informed Jesus that they have 5 loaves and 2 fish- certainly not enough to feed all those people. And yet, in verse 41, Jesus gives thanks. There isn’t enough, but that’s the miracle, isn’t it? Jesus gives thanks to God, he believes that even in this tense situation God is at work. He divides the fish and the loaves and doesn’t merely feed the people gathered, he doesn’t whet their appetite to tide them over, he feeds them until they are satisfied (v. 42).
We have the ability to choose how we respond to our circumstances. When we upstage our critical tendencies with thankfulness we are better able to see the possibility, the wonder, and the work of God in our lives.
This is one of those areas where science is catching up with what people of faith have been saying and doing for centuries. Some studies have shown that gratitude can help to improve our mental health when we practise it regularly- so you’ll get a mental as well as a spiritual boost from this one. (see at the bottom of this post for a link to a great article!)
Time to Practice:
1. Write it down.
As part of my morning routine, I write down 3 things I’m grateful for. Starting the day with gratitude on my brain helps me to have a mentality that is abundant for the whole day.
They don’t have to be big things, today I thanked God for blanket forts, podcasts, and peppermint tea.
Simple.
2. Write it down, part 2.
Send a thank you card, or txt message- I once took a finishing class and the most helpful thing I learned* was an easy way to write a thank you note. Basically it goes like this:
Use the persons name
Say thank you
Give 1-2 specific details
Say thank you again
Sign off
A little card can go a long way to increase the positivity you (and the recipient) feel!
If you’d like a printable card to send to someone try one of these:
(*the MOST helpful thing I learned in that class was how to hold a glass, appetizer plate and napkin in one hand- it’s a SKILL. But I send more T.Y. cards than I attend cocktail parties, so...)
3. Gratitude walk.
Find a multi-petaled flower (I like roses because they are really dense, but a daisy or even a dandelion would work!)
Slowly, with care, remove each petal from the flower. Say a prayer of thanks for someone or something for each petal. Once you’ve removed all the petals collect them in a bag of some kind, so you can easily bring them with you on your walk.
**If a multi-petaled flower isn’t available you could use seeds, or even decorate some pebbles in place of it.
Take a path that you travel regularly (to the grocery store, church, the park, school, etc.) bring your petals with you. As you go, drop your petals slowly and deliberately- one here, one there. Sow gratitude into the places that make up your life.
Since we are all (for the time being) in our homes, we could even walk the perimeter of our homes (whether it’s a house or a building) as a reminder that home is a place we can be especially grateful for.
You can, of course, just go for a walk and talk to God about all the ways that you see Him at work. But sometimes I like to do a little something extra.
Resources:
Joel Wong, Joshua Brown. “How Gratitude Changes Your Brain”
Louie Schwartzberg. “Nature. Beauty.Gratitude” https://www.ted.com/talks/louie_schwartzberg_nature_beauty_gratitude
Ann Voskamp. One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are
Final Note:
I’m grateful that I get to spend some of my time, reading, thinking, praying, and teaching about God. I hope that you are able to focus more on Him and his presence in your life because of something you read here.
Love ya,
How are you practicing gratitude these days? Let me know (by email) meghanlamatthews@gmail.com or (on Instagram) @itsmeghanmatthews
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