Gratitude Cultivates Joy

Are you grateful?

Most of us would probably answer, “Yes”.  But how grateful are we?

It’s easy to be grateful during good times, when life is going beautifully- relationships are joyful and enriching, we’re productive at work, we’re healthy, and fruitful in our ministry. But are we also grateful when life starts to spiral downward; fractured relationships, health concerns, not feeling needed, or doubting our purpose.

Gratitude is a way of life, not just being thankful when life is going well, then being ungrateful when life is hard.

We must make an intentional choice to be grateful.

This can be challenging when life’s stressors escalate. We need an attitude of gratitude that is not dependent on our circumstances.

So how can we cultivate gratitude?

We need to develop a heart posture of humility; being thankful for the Lord’s provision. He knows exactly what we need and when we need it. He has blessed us far more than we deserve, so let’s focus on His bounty instead of what we may think is scarcity.

- Focus on all you have, not on what you don’t have.

• Ask God to help you see His blessings. Sometimes blessings can be difficult to see but He will be faithful to show you.

- Seek Him in prayer!

• Lord, help me be more grateful!
• Ask Him to show you areas where you may have a complaining, critical spirit, and pray for wisdom and perseverance to focus on the positives. Sometimes we’re not even aware of the unappreciative parts of our heart.
• Ask a trusted friend to pray for you. Be transparent and share your requests. Perhaps they will share how you can pray for them to grow in gratitude also.

- Read God’s Word regularly.

• Memorize scripture to plant it deep in your heart and use it to combat ungrateful thoughts. The Bible has many verses on gratitude and thanksgiving. Meditate on these to get started:  

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus. -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind. -Psalm 107:8

- Put together a list of your blessings. I bet it would be huge! Think about it- sunshine, laughter, tableware, flowers, water, tissues, a chair to sit in, music…and the list goes on! Wow!

- You could also make a “gratitude wall.” Write each blessing on a sticky note and place it on a wall where you can see them. A couple I know did this when he was going through chemotherapy, and it truly helped them stay focused on the Lord’s amazing provision. Their gratitude wall soon became a gratitude room! 

Consider these words from the prophet Habakkuk from 3:17-19 ESV: Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. God, the Lord, is my strength; He makes my feet like the deer’s; He makes me tread on high places.

Despite his difficult situation, Habakkuk intentionally chose to be grateful. He rejoices in the Lord even though his life circumstances are not ideal. Habakkuk’s gratitude enables him to have joy despite his trials. Often when life is the hardest, we lean into God the most. It’s during the hard times when we experience “growing pains” that draw us closer to Him as we come to know Him more intimately. And this is another reason to be grateful! Let’s not let our joyfulness and gratitude be gauged by life’s circumstances, but instead by the joy and hopefulness we have in Christ.

Choose to be grateful.

- Beth Ask

Prayer Group Leader. Wife & Mom. Women's Ministry Volunteer. Founder of the Annual Eating Disorders Day of Prayer. Loves adventurous road trips, great coffee with her husband, and family laughter! Overcomer.

The 2025 Eating Disorders Day of Prayer will be held on February 26th; you can receive more info & sign up on the Eventbrite page.

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