I’m a super grateful person.
…Let me try that again.
I say “thank you” a lot.
Unfortunately those two aren’t always the same thing.
Sure, I mean it when I thank someone for handing me coffee, helping me with a project, or holding open a door. But I don’t dwell on it. I don’t take time to genuinely be grateful for small acts of kindness, hot cups of coffee, or gut-busting laughter with the people I love.
Instead, I say “thank you” with a smile, feel good about myself for being oh-so-polite, then move on to my gratitude-less thoughts.
“How do I always pick the slowest lane of traffic?”
“I having nothing to wear. I need more clothes.”
“Grocery shopping is the worst.”
Now, I’m not saying that frustrations in life aren’t valid. Sometimes we’re tired, and going to the grocery store is not at the top of our list for “fun things to do when I get off work.” I don’t think we should go around and pretend that everything is hunky-dory just for fear of appearing ungrateful.
What I am saying, however, is that it’s far easier to dwell in ungratefulness than it is to dwell in gratitude.
So how do we make this change? One great way to move from dwelling in ungratefulness to dwelling in gratitude is to keep a gratitude journal.
There’s no specific “right” way to go about doing this. You can do it in the morning, at night, or throughout the day; on your phone, in a notebook, or on sticky notes; daily, hourly, weekly; as you’re praying, running errands, on your lunch break; with a friend, your spouse, by yourself; you can write down things that happened that day or things that have happened in the past; you can dwell on your thankfulness for people, things, or circumstances.
The best way? The way that you remember to do it.
Gratitude changes us. It’s as simple as that. It doesn’t make the wrong in our life right; it’s not a cure-all or a cover-up. But it does take the focus off what we don’t have, what we can’t control, or what we wish was different, and it allows us to see the good right in front of us.
The author of Lamentations, after some (well-deserved) lamenting, has a dramatic change in perspective in the third chapter. He says:
But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:21-23)
Can I get an amen?
Today, let’s choose gratefulness. Let’s get out our pens and paper (or our thumbs and smartphones) and start keeping track of all that we have to be grateful for.
And today, because it’s Friday and we’re feeling extra grateful for y’all, we’re giving away a pretty little gratitude journal (from Katie Mitchell Designs) to one of you lovely ladies.
To enter, simply fill out the form below:
How about you? Have you ever kept a gratitude journal? If so, tell us about your experience. If not, will you consider starting one? We’d love to hear from you in the comments!
Heather Warfield, the Lifeway Women Marketing Coordinator, is an optimist, coffee lover, and guacamole enthusiast from Michigan who currently plants her feet in the sweet, sweet south. Her favorite things include, but are not limited to: lakes, trees, sunshine, good talks, fair trade chocolate, new experiences, and people who think she’s funny.
