Gratitude
Feb 20, 2024
I got a beautiful prayer journal for Christmas from a friend of mine. I love journals, and I have a weakness for them. I buy them if they're pretty or if they have a nice cover or if they have an interesting layout.
The prayer journal I received has scripture at the top and an encouraging thought, and then spaces to record my thoughts, prayer requests, answers to prayer, and praises. I decided that I would use the thoughts section to record gratitude.
It's almost passe'...the practice of gratitude. Gratitude is said to make you more patient, improve your relationships, help you sleep, ease depression, give you lasting happiness, and some even say it will help with overeating!
I don't know about all that, but I DO know that Scripture regards gratitude as a sacrifice.
Psalm 50:14
“Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving
And pay your vows to the Most High;
Psalm 116:17
To You I shall offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
And call upon the name of the Lord.
Psalm 50:23
“He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me;
And to him who orders his way aright
I shall show the salvation of God.”
And every day that I take the time to express my gratitude, I'm reminded of the goodness of God. The reality of His love for me demonstrated in a million different ways. In the taste of my soup at lunchtime. In the beauty of a sunset. In the laugh of my daughter, the encouragement of a friend, and six plus hours of sleep the night before.
And typical of God's character, when I'm faithful to thank Him, He multiplies His goodness.
Here are some things that help my practice of gratitude every day:
- I write it down! Not just gratitude in my heart! Written down daily to remember and to count my blessings.
- Specific! I thank God for my pillow, and the broccoli for my salad, and the color red! All the things. They are all available to me because of His goodness!
- I challenge myself to not repeat, so that every day reveals something new to be thankful for.
- I include gratitude in my schedule so that the day doesn't pass without giving God thanks.
You don't have to have a beautiful journal, or a special sitting area, or have a no-repeat rule. Just express to God what you are grateful for. You'll find it improves your life exponentially.
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