We all want to be more grateful, don’t we? But with everything that goes on in our lives, we might wonder, “How can I even be grateful for anything?” Coming off of a difficult year for everyone and moving into a new one that may be just as hard, it’s easy to look around and be discouraged. I feel it, and I bet you do too. I pray these tips will help you to begin to cultivate gratitude in your life.
4 Ways to Cultivate More Gratitude In Your Life
Ask God for Help
Having an attitude of gratitude isn’t always easy. Though we truly do have a lot to be thankful for, it’s easy to let our perspective shift. Or grief comes and we feel the heavy weight of that. The good news is that we can ask God for help! Be honest with Him and tell Him what you feel. Admit feelings of ingratitude or discouragement. Ask God for help to have open eyes and an open heart to see hope in your life. You can ask for His help to start counting your blessings. It doesn’t mean that all discouraging or hard things will go away, but your perspective will shift and you will be able to see the blessings even in the difficulties.
Make Gratitude Your Goal
When you are going through difficulties and hard times, it can feel so heavy. You may not be able to feel anything other than grief or disappointment. That’s why God tells us to “be thankful” not to “feel thankful.” I’m so glad He understands our feelings but also knows that we can choose in the midst of our feelings. When gratitude is our goal we can choose to see the good in the hard and find things to be thankful for. Writing them down and naming them as Ann says in her book, will start to begin the discipline of choosing gratitude. It isn’t a one and done sort of thing. It is consistently choosing, naming, and opening eyes to gratitude. This can ultimately change your perspective and help you to live that supernatural life that is only possible with God: being thankful in all things (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).
Don’t Compare
We’ve all heard the saying: “Comparison is the thief of joy.” It is so true! We can go about our day feeling grateful for what we have and then hop on social media or run into someone at the supermarket and find out about all their blessings and suddenly our gratitude disappears. Comparison really does rob us of our joy. We need to see the things we have in our lives as our very own special and unique gifts from God Himself. We may not have the fanciest or nicest things, or the lucrative job or as well-behaved children but the things that other people have were never meant to be ours! One thing I am learning is just because someone else has it, doesn’t mean it was ever going to be mine. So I might as well be grateful for what is mine. Don’t rob yourself of the joy that gratitude can bring when you keep your eyes on the gifts God has give YOU.
Slow Down
A few weeks ago, my husband and I were able to take a trip to the aquarium. At first we we rushed through the exhibits and then realizing we were already done in a matter of minutes, we started back at the beginning and took our time. We saw animals (sharks, stingrays, seals) that we hadn’t seen the first time around. Slowing down provides the opportunity to take a closer look. Perhaps you can take a look at your schedule and cut a few things out. Is the pace of your life moving too quickly? Be honest with yourself! Where can you begin to slow down? Will it be saying a few “no’s” rather than “yes’s”? Is it plugging in your phone and staying off social media so you can savor the moment you’re in? Be intentional about slowing down. You may be surprised at what good things you begin to notice!
As we keep our focus on gratitude this month, here are 10 practical ways to make gratitude a practice in your everyday life.
10 Practical Ways to Invite Gratitude Into Your Life Daily
- Say “Thank You” to your spouse, friends, baristas, God
- Keep a gratitude journal
- Make a habit of starting your morning with one thing you are thankful for and ending your day with one thing you are thankful for
- Make a gratitude board
- Bless someone else
- Name something or someone that made you smile
- Don’t overcommit yourself
- Spend intentional time off of your phone and social media
- Be present and live in the moment
- Look for the silver lining in difficult or irritating circumstances
Inviting gratitude into our lives is a good thing! Can I encourage you to embrace this practice? It really has the power to change your everyday life.
