The Power of Gratitude

And Hello friends and happy Thanksgiving! Today is without a doubt one of my favorite days of the entire year. Family, friends, good food, and just enjoying the sweet company of one another. A day to reflect on all the things to be thankful for. If you follow me over on IG and tune into my stories over there, you may have seen that Madeline and I do a weekly verse. I have been creating a graphic for each one to share on there, and have loved hearing that some of y’all have been joining in with us to learn these (or is you already know them, take that week to meditate on them and understand them in a whole new way). And since today is Thanksgiving, I wanted to share this week’s verse on here, one of my favorites. I also wanted to share a few thoughts on gratitude, the power of gratitude. 

I love this verse because it hits so many important points. Thanksgiving, praise and again thanksgiving. This year, I have really been teaching Madeline the important of gratitude/thanksgiving. It’s one of the values I want to instill in her at a young age, because goodness is it an important one! And what has been so amazing is that while I’ve been teaching her the importance of it, it has resonated even more deeply with me. It’s something we’ve been practicing together, which has been so fun!

But when we hear the word “Thanksgiving”, the holiday is one of the first things that come to mind. But the beauty of it is that it’s something we can and should practice all throughout the day, every day of the year. It’s a quality that should go along with out nature. One that when others are asked to describe which qualities they see in you, thankfulness and gratitude should be on that list! It’s such a powerful one that honestly won’t just make a difference in your life but also has the ability to affect others as well. It’s like a chain reaction! So with all this, I thought it would be fun to share a little bit on the power of Thanksgiving!

Gratitude is a way of life

When reading the Bible, it truly is amazing how many times we are instructed to show gratitude and give thanks. 1 Chronicles 16:34, Psalm 9:1, Philippians 4:6, Psalm 100:4, Ephesians 5:19-20, Colossians 3:17 and many more! And what we can take from these verses is that gratitude truly is a way of life. A way of life that not only holds a level of thankfulness but thankfulness to our Heavenly Father from whom all blessings flow. We are directed to “enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise.” We are to give him thanks for all things, every day, throughout each day and praise him. I have gotten to where I love beginning my prayer time with thanksgiving, thanking the Lord for so many things and praising his holy name.  Even this has the power to impact your prayer time on a whole new level. It truly is amazing. Being able to recognize that each blessing, each answered prayer, everything that happens to us (good and the not-so-good, because “all things work together for good to those who love God”) deserves a reaction of thanksgiving from us. And that is such a beautiful thing, because once your heart is one set on the importance of gratitude, all other things will fall into place. It is a mindset! And in all honesty, a heart full of gratitude and thanksgiving is something we owe to the Lord. It’s a way of life. But the beauty of it is that it doesn’t just have the ability to change your life and honor the Lord, but it also has the ability to affect others…

Gratitude is a chain reaction

Something I have found out to also be true is how gratitude doesn’t only have the ability to work in your own heart but also in the hearts of those around you. When you confront someone with a grateful heart, that gratefulness has the ability to shine through and impact them as well. One way to do this is to show gratitude to others. If someone does a kind act for you, says something kind, has given you great service (maybe at a restaurant or in a store), give them a great big “THANK YOU.” Let them know they’re doing a great job! I have taught Madeline to say not only “thank you” but “thank you so much!” Another way to do this is to actively let others know how grateful you are for them. Whether it’s sending a text, making a phone call, giving a great big hug, whatever…let them know how thankful you are for them, and remind them often. One more way I love to “share” my gratefulness with others is to give glory to God for all things. Recognize those things and share them! One way I like to do this is for example, when someone says, “how do you balance so many things?” I say, “with the Lord’s help!” because goodness I know that is the only way. When you display this level of gratefulness to the Lord it has the ability to work in others as well. Gratitude is a chain reaction. Your gratitude has the ability to work in the hearts of others as you openly share your thankful heart.

The Power of Gratitude 

The last thing I want to mention is just the overall power of gratitude. A grateful heart has the ability to cure all other feelings you may be experiencing. When I’ve had a bad day or things aren’t going the way I’d like for them to, I think on all the many things to be thankful for. When I think on these things, my heart is instantly filled with so much joy and gratitude that it overpowers any other feelings I may be experiencing. And it’s through this gratitude that a joy, only the Lord can give, is experienced. Gratitude is such a powerful thing that and when you learn to incorporate everything else into your life, all other things will fall into place. It is the groundwork for which so much joy will flow from. 

I just wanted to share these thoughts with y’all today on some of the things I have gathered from focusing on having a grateful heart. It’s a daily thing, it’s something to share with others, it’s an aid for the not-so-pleasant things in life, it’s a mindset, it’s a way to grow closer to the Lord, it’s simply a way of life. And for that, I’m so grateful. I hope y’all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I am so very grateful for each and every one of y’all! 

Delightfully Yours,