Let's Talk Gratitude
Ahhh, gratitude.
This time of year, it can be a little jarring to see words like “gratitude” and “thankfulness” plastered at the end of checkout aisles advertising Christmas presents. While being grateful for our presents is always a good thing, true gratitude is something deeper than just a quick “thank you!”
True gratitude goes beyond appreciation; it draws us out of ourselves, towards something greater than us...towards something more… towards something of God.
As the holiday season rapidly approaches, we wanted to offer you some practical resources to help you delve deeper into this idea of gratitude. Each bit of wisdom comes from a different woman in our collective, including many of the new members of our VOICES ministry team, as well as many of you!
While this is not meant to be an exhaustive list, we hope that these brief reflections and ideas on cultivating a heart of gratitude are beneficial to you.
Without further ado, here are some ideas to help you get started:
Slow Down
“Words that define my recipe for gratitude in the holiday season: slow down, simplify, sanctity. I find that by doing the first two, I grow in gratitude and am able to sanctify my life.” – Eileen Perez
ACTION STEP: Streamlining our calendar to prioritize presence helps us to cultivate a heart of gratitude. As you reflect on the approaching season, how can you intentionally carve out time to slow down? What can you simplify or eliminate from your calendar?
STUMPED? HERE’S SOME IDEAS: Setting your alarm 30 minutes earlier so you aren’t rushing in the morning, meal planning a full week in advance, intentionally not scheduling anything in the evening so that you can make space for what is most important.
2. Create a Visual Representation of Your Blessings
“I also love the practice of having a blessings jar where we write down one thing we are grateful for that day and store it. Then, at the end of the year, you’d sit down and read through all the blessings from the past year. (Or you could read them monthly if you can’t wait a whole year!)” - Rakhi McCormick
ACTION STEP: Sometimes, creating a visual reminder of your many blessings helps to call them to your mind on a more frequent basis. Brainstorm - what would be a good visual representation of gratitude for you or your family?
STUMPED? HERE’S SOME IDEAS: Each day, write down one thing you are thankful for on a pumpkin or in your journal. Jessica Bonaparte suggests a gratitude journal, saying, “I have a gratitude journal where I wrote down three things that I’m thankful for at the end of the day. Each day I attempt to write down something new.”
You could also make a “thankfulness tree” or “gratitude tree” like Kayla Oliver and her family. Kayla writes, “I cut up a bunch of leaves and drew a simple tree trunk with branches on our big chalkboard, and every night everyone gets a chance to add a leaf to the tree with something they're grateful for from that day. My kids will NOT let us forget, and they come up with the best stuff. Like: "What are you grateful for today?" Middle son: "God!" Oldest son: "Juice."“
3. Name God’s Faithfulness in Your Life
“My boyfriend and I always end our nightly phone calls by each saying our high moment, low moment, and God moments of the day! It’s a great way to reflect and see the ways God worked in our day, [both] good and bad, and what we learned and how we can grow from the things we experience each day. We started doing it two years ago for Lent and decided it would be how we end every day! It has really helped us to look for the blessings in our lives every day and I love it!” - Matea Gregg
ACTION STEP: Whether you identify God faithfulness in a conversation with a loved one or in quiet reflection by yourself, naming God’s faithfulness in your life is a transformative way to help you grow in gratitude. Today, begin by writing down things that you are thankful for and reflecting on God has been faithful to you in the past. How has He answered previous requests? How has He proven His faithfulness? How is He showering you with blessings even now?
STUMPED? HERE’S SOME IDEAS: Pray over Philippians 4 and reflect on how thanksgiving and praise helps to overcome anxiety and worry. Try making a list in two columns - something you’ve asked for in the past, and how God answered your requests. Begin to verbally offer thanks for the people that God has placed in your life.
Finally, one really good way to name God’s faithfulness in your life is by reflecting at the end of each day. When we reflect on how He encounters us each day and how we respond to Him, it becomes easier to cultivate a heart of gratitude. Megan Turland shares, “The Examen has really helped me to see the many blessings in my life.”
One Final Idea:
Many of us found the book One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp to be a compelling read that helped us to slow down and practice gratitude daily.
What other resources or daily spiritual practices have you found helpful? We’d love to hear from you!
Hugs,
The Live Today Well Team
PS. Both SEEK and The Examen Journal were born out of this desire to cultivate gratitude daily. Each is meant to be used on a frequent basis to help you reflect more fully on how God is moving in and through each moment of your day. If you’re interested, you can click HERE to learn more.