Living with a Daily Attitude of Gratitude

on November 1, 2022

Romans 12:3 – I’m speaking to you out of deep gratitude for all that God has given me, and especially as I have responsibilities in relation to you. Living then, as every one of you does, in pure grace, it’s important that you not misinterpret yourselves as people who are bringing this goodness to God. No, God brings it all to you. The only accurate way to understand ourselves is by what God is and by what he does for us, not by what we are and what we do for him.

I must seriously becoming old because what is important to me has changed quite a bit in the last couple of decades. My attitude about gratitude has changed.

Things that I knew were important are not what IS really, really important.

Things like appreciating every day. Knowing my health could change overnight. The blessing of living in a country where we get unlimited choices and opportunities. The ability that I can choose what I do with so many aspects of my life is not something I take for granted these days.

Also near the top of the list? The deep, deep necessity of understanding and appreciating gratitude. Every. Day. Of. My. Life.

Yes, I was taught at a very early age to say, “thank you.” For anything little thing that someone did for you. My Mom also taught me to write thank you notes. You know, the old-fashioned kind, on paper or a little card that is then actually put into an envelope, addressed and a stamp affixed to. The ones that when one shows up in your mailbox almost feels like a national holiday these days.

I received one of those thank you notes in the mail last week. Someone else’s mother taught them the same thing.

While I developed a basic understanding of gratitude, in the last few years, I have realized how important it is to make it part of my daily routine. Every. Day. Of. My. Life.

How do I live with a daily attitude of gratitude? I begin nearly every morning with a quiet time of journaling, reading and devotions. I end this time by writing down three things for which I am grateful that I have witnessed in the last 24 hours of my life. Over 75 percent of these little gratitude identifications relate back to an actual person. Someone I had a conversation with, had contact with or touched my life. Never does a day go by that at least one of those little gratitude appreciation times includes a person.

Why do I write these down? For me, there is just something special and significant in taking a few moments and recalling and identifying something good in my life. Too often, we let our minds and hearts get clouded by something that went wrong. Or something we lack. Possibly a desire for something that we want but do not need. This little gratitude list forces me to find three things that put a smile on my face, a lift in my step or made me feel loved and special.

Try it. You might discover something about yourself along the way.

November is easily attributed to gratitude and thankfulness because of American Thanksgiving. It’s great that we have a day where we count our blessings and give thanks. But why not do this the other 364 days of the year? Do we not have reason to express gratitude daily?

Time after time, people have conducted research projects and discovered that people who express and acknowledge gratitude daily are happier people. Yep. That’s the one common denominator. Expressing gratitude.

If you find yourself being a little whiney or a negative Nelly, challenge yourself to find three little pieces of gratitude daily. And see what happens with your attitude.

These gratitude moments also connect me with God. Time and time again, I realize that these little reasons to be grateful are not of my own making. I didn’t create these moments. No, God allowed me to see something beautiful completely out of my own control and it brings me joy.

Too often, we attribute all of our joy and happiness and success with something that “we” created. Or did. Or orchestrated. Maybe we did have a part, but my guess is Someone else was conducting the orchestra. Not us.

It always bothers me when someone identifies something under their purview as their own. My accomplishment. Or my hard work. My wisdom. And my church. Yes, there are times when identifying something as ours is necessary. I identify “my car” from Hubby Rick’s car when I could simply identify the blue car from the white car. People might look at us strangely if we regularly say, “The house that God provides me,” even though there’s more than a bit of truth to this.

I’m of the belief that while we do contribute to the acquiring of the things within our hold, God has a lot more to do with this than we do. And too often, we fail to acknowledge where credit really is due.

An honest and true attitude of gratitude looks beyond us and begins by expressing gratitude to God first. Too often, God gets the leftovers of our gratitude rather than our first overs. Yes, it is important to thank and express appreciation for what others do for us. But let’s also not fail to remember the One who began it all.

Gratitude should never go out of style. Be taken for granted. Dip too low on our list of priorities. While have a day or a month to focus on gratitude is helpful and important, may we also make gratitude part of our every day lives. This, my friends, is a true attitude of gratitude.

For the countless ways that God has blessed, I am very grateful.

Blessings –

Dianne

Holy God – So often, we want recognition and being noted for something great that happened in our lives. While we certainly made contributions, may we not overlook the countless ways You bless and love us. May this little prayer be just one simple “thank you” note to You as a way to express gratitude for all You do in my life. You, Dear Lord, make all the difference. Amen.

If this post touched you, I invite you to share it.

For More Posts About Gratitude:

Title: Why Gratitude is Important to God by Lisa Granger

https://lisamarcelina.net/why-gratitude-is-important-to-god/

Title: Gratitude Practices to Change Your Life by Ashley Olivine

https://ashleyolivine.com/gratitude-practices/