Practicing Gratitude as a Lifestyle: In All Seasons
Practicing gratitude as a lifestyle is more than offering thanks on special occasions or when blessings are abundant; it’s about cultivating a heart that sees and celebrates God’s goodness in all seasons, every day.
Practicing gratitude as a lifestyle transforms our outlook, strengthens our faith, and deepens our joy.
When we intentionally seek God’s hand in the ordinary and even in the difficult moments, we find ourselves more connected to Him and more at peace.
Embracing gratitude changes our perspective and blesses those around us, as our lives reflect a heart continually in awe of God’s unmeasured grace.
Start by listening as I share about Gratitude as a Lifestyle and how it can help you embrace practicing gratitude.
Practicing Gratitude Given to God
In the United States, November is when we focus on gratitude as Thanksgiving Day approaches.
Many other countries also set aside a day for a harvest festival when they also focus on gratitude.
Regardless of where you live, you can incorporate the practice of gratitude into your life.
Practicing gratitude becomes a richer experience when your heart is filled with thanksgiving given to God. It’s more than simply filling a page with what you are grateful for if God is left out of the equation.
If your life has been hard lately, you might not feel grateful. That’s why it’s a gratitude practice because we are learning a new habit. It’s like practicing the piano and learning to play it well.
You are practicing gratitude as a lifestyle!
We will explore how to cultivate gratitude as we deepen our relationship with God.
One of the most practical ways is learning to weave gratitude into our daily activities through:
- Prayer!
- Gratitude journaling!
Our Gratitude Journaling Workbook using the Gratitude Bible Reading Plan is the BEST WAY to see God’s goodness working in your life as you grow in gratitude. CLICK HERE!
Practicing Gratitude in Every Season of Life
As a teenager, my dad encouraged me to look at life differently. I tended to see my cup half empty and saw the negative side of just about everything. It’s wonderful that I can still hear my dad’s reminders to be more positive.
I never felt that I was good at anything, and those negative thoughts derailed any ability I possessed.
Popular thinking would be to say, “I’m not enough” or turn that around and say, “I am enough!”
Both are wrong assumptions!
I am not enough but not because of an ungrateful heart that looks at life with dark negative glasses. I am unworthy because of my sins and failures. I fall short of God’s holiness.
The only reason “I am enough” is because God has washed me and cleansed me of all unrighteousness and is transforming me into His righteousness.
“I am enough” because Jesus is changing into who He created me to be.
I need to practice gratitude and direct my heart in prayer to the God who is transforming me into His likeness.
There are different seasons of life as we learn to practice gratitude as a lifestyle.
- As a teenager, I struggled with negativity and not seeing myself as God sees me.
- As a young woman in my twenties, I started facing real-life situations that began to teach me how negative I was. My dad (I thought he was wrong) was so right!
- Then I got married!
At first, I thought it was all my husband’s fault. I was sure my husband was the one causing my problems and failures. I was so wrong.
I began to pray, “Lord, change me!” It didn’t matter ‘who’ was wrong. I needed to work on MY issues.
God is so good!
As I’ve matured, there have been seasons that God has brought me through. Some of them were extremely difficult.
During unmentionably hard times, God took hold of my heart, and I began practicing gratitude as a lifestyle.
I am thankful for the ways God has taught me to practice gratitude. It has given me an entirely new perspective on life.
Our Gratitude Journaling Workbook using the Gratitude Bible Reading Plan is the BEST WAY to see God’s goodness working in your life as you grow in gratitude. CLICK HERE!
The Transforming Power of Gratitude in Hard Times
When life is challenging, gratitude might be impossible to muster, yet it can be one of the most powerful tools in navigating hardship.
Embracing gratitude in hard times doesn’t mean ignoring pain or pretending everything is okay; rather, it’s about anchoring our hearts in the truth that God is with us, even in our struggles.
Gratitude reminds us that in the middle of trials, we are not alone, and God’s grace is present even in the smallest of blessings.
Gratitude has the power to shift our focus from what’s missing to what’s still good.
It turns our hearts toward how God is working in our difficulty, allowing us to find hope and resilience.
When we cry out to God in prayer, acknowledging and giving thanks for the beauty hidden within tough moments, we open ourselves to a peace that surpasses understanding.
In this way, gratitude becomes a form of worship—praising God for His faithfulness and trusting in His promises, no matter the circumstances.
Gratitude for God’s Unmeasured Grace
Gratitude for His unmeasured grace begins with the realization that we are loved beyond measure, not because of anything we’ve done but because of who God is.
Continue steadfastly in prayer,
being watchful in it with thanksgiving. Colossians 4:2
His grace, freely given, is an invitation to step out of the mindset that ‘you’re not enough and into a new identity—that you are enough in Christ.
You are secure, cherished, and whole in Christ.
When we pause, to truly consider the magnitude of this grace, our hearts can’t help but overflow with gratitude.
Being thankful for God’s unearned grace is transformative; it shifts our outlook from striving to rest, from self-doubt to confidence in His love, and from fear to freedom.
AS WE EMBRACE GRATITUDE for His daily mercies, we begin to see ourselves and the way He sees us.
His grace invites us to let go of past mistakes, freeing us from the need to prove ourselves and welcoming us into a place of peace and belonging.
In every sunrise, every answered prayer, and every moment of quiet assurance, God’s grace touches us, gently shaping our hearts.
God delights in you and wants you to meditate daily on His boundless love that has covered your sins.
He wants to help you start practicing gratitude for who He created you to be and all the blessings He’s given you, both mundane and great.
