The spiritual discipline of gratitude seems like it should be such an easy practice to master.
- Someone does something nice for you, you say, “Thanks!” Gratitude, done.
- You’re walking into the store with your toddler on your hip and someone holds the door open for you, you say, “I appreciate it!” Gratitude, done.
- You just finished ordering your Chick-fil-a Peach milkshake. You tell the cashier, “Thank you.” They respond with, “My pleasure.” Then, you say it back. BOOM! You just got a gold medal in gratitude.
As someone raised to say “Please, thank you, yes ma’am and yes sir” I can tell you that sometimes my “gratitude” responses are more robotic than heartfelt. I know many times my gratitude shown can be out of a unspoken requirement over a grateful heart.
Let’s look at a few verses from the Bible that can give us a view of how gratitude is more than a word or feeling of thankfulness.
1 Thessolonians 5:18
“In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Phillipians 4:12-13
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.”
1 Thessalonians 5 says “in everything give thanks.” Now that can be a little more difficult to do.
It’s hard to give thanks when life is hard. What about when my family member is sick? Do give thanks for that? My ministry is struggling? Do I give thanks for that? What about when someone treats me poorly? Do I give thanks for that? This is where the lifestyle of Gratitude has to step in.
In Philippians 4 Paul is writing to the church in Philipi and tells them I know what it is like to have everything I want and need and I know what it’s like have nothing and be in want, and my contentment does not come from what I have or don’t have. It comes from Christ. Gratitude is living a life of thankfulness in the big and small things, but also in the midst of good and hard situations.
What are our practice steps then to living a life of gratitude no matter our circumstances? Here are 3 ways I practice the spiritual discipline of gratitude.
Be Aware
This may sound a bit too simple, but I believe when we notice what is happening in, around and through us, we are able to live in a mindset of gratitude. We can all get so caught up in the rigors and day to day of life in general that we don’t “stop and smell the roses.”
What if we stopped for a few moments everyday and made a list of 5 things to be grateful for? How could that simple adjustment in our mindset change our mood and interactions with others? When we notice how God is moving in our lives, we are able to mirror to others how God is moving iin their lives.
When we see that we are blessed, we can in turn be a blessing. When we take time to be aware of the ways God is constantly at work in our lives, we are able to walk daily in a gratitude mindset.
Be Intentional
You know what keeps me in a terrible mood? Doing things to stay in a terrible mood. If my day starts with me waking up 20 minutes after my alarm was supposed to go off, spilling coffee on myself, and stepping on a toy that was left in the hallway, I tend to be in rough mood.
Now, at this moment I have a choice to make: I can either fuss under my breath, think about how I am going to threaten to throw away all the toys, and blast Apple on twitter for making a shoddy product that can’t even keep an alarm, or I can stop, take a few deep breathes, remember that one day I will miss the toys in my house, and be reminded of the gift of coffee from our Father above. That single moment can change the trajectory of my output for the day.
When we feel something fighting against our practice of gratitude, we can be intentional to stop the rampage down the wrong street and course correct to a mindset of gratitude.
Be Proof
We can practice living a life of gratitude by showing others gratitude. Crazy right? Here is what I have learned, it’s hard to be in a bad mood when I am being kind to others. If I want to live a life that displays gratitude, then display it all over the place!
Send a random card to someone telling them how grateful you are for them. Buy coffee for someone because you want to be a blessing to others. Tell a co-worker how impressed you are with something they did recently. “People will know you are my disciples if you love one another.”
Do you want to be known as a disciple of Jesus? Love through gratitude.
The Importance of the Spiritual Discipline of Gratitude for a Pastor
As pastors and leaders we carry an extra responsibility that many others don’t feel, we are shepherds. Shepherds lead their sheep. I learned recently that sheep generally don’t follow shepherds. Sheep follow friends and other sheep. The way a shepherd uses this is they give the sheep in front food. That tells those sheep this is my friend, so the lead sheep follow the friend.
This creates a domino effect because the sheep behind the lead sheep will follow that sheep. You may think that what you display during service or in front of your congregation is what leads them. But sheep follow lead sheep. If you want your church to be known for it’s gratitude, you need to be sure your lead sheep are being presented with gratitude. Your co-workers and staff members should see your gratitude on a daily basis. When they see and receive gratitude, it will flow through to their ministries and those they lead.
It isn’t easy to live a life of gratitude, especially when life is hard. But gratitude can help us modal a close relationship with God in our daily walk, it can show others that we care about them, and the love that gratitude displays can show the world that we are disciples of Jesus. Be grateful, and show it.
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