Living Grateful

Aubrynn Padilla
Nov 18, 2024
3 min read

With thanksgiving right around the corner, we tend to turn our thoughts toward being thankful. It’s wonderful that we as Americans have an entire holiday about thankfulness, but the truth is that we should be thankful year round, not just one day of the year.

Much to be thankful for

The Bible talks a lot about thankfulness and praise to God, all through the Psalms we read of the psalmist thankful hearts.

Psalms 107:1

Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!

For His mercy endures forever.

Psalms 150:6

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!

Other verses encourage us to have a spirit of thankfulness at all times.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Colossians 3:17

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Phillipians 4:6

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;

As Christians, we have much to be thankful for. The most important thing is the price Jesus paid for us on the cross (Romans 5:8).

“Jesus died for you knowing you may never love Him back, that is true love”

I’ve heard it said that if all Jesus ever did was die for you, you would still owe Him your life. That’s the truth, we didn’t deserve to be saved from our sinful state but Jesus chose to save us because he loves us (John 3:16). How good is the God we serve, that not only did he sacrifice His only Son for our sins, but He also gives us hope of life everlasting (John 11:25-26). He doesn’t just give us the hope of glorious life after death in Heaven, He also gives us an abundant life here on earth (John 10:10)! He never breaks His promises, His mercies are new each morning, He is faithful and just to forgive us when we do wrong, there is so much more we can thank God for. We can’t thank Him enough, if you are ever feeling sad or discouraged, think about how good God is and thank Him for all He’s done for you, how can you be melancholy then?!

Tell someone, “Thank you!”

God has placed people in your life for a reason. When was the last time you thanked God for them? Better yet, when was the last time you told that person you were thankful for them?

Taking time to be thankful for your family and friends is not only encouraging to them but it does something in you. Studies have shown that when you make gratitude your default you will be happier and tend to think less about the negative things going on in your life (read one article here or if you want a deeper dive this book is a great resource too!). We are designed to be better people when we are thankful.

Maybe sometimes it seems like you don’t have anything to thank God or other people for, but if you take a minute to think about it I’m confident you can come up with at least a few things to be thankful for.

Since we are in the Thanksgiving season take the next few weeks to focus in on cultivating a heart of gratitude. When you wake up in the morning thank God! He gave you another day of life! Beyond that, take a moment to thank Him for what He has done in your life.

Throughout the day, make a conscious effort to show gratitude to the people in your life, it can be as simple as saying “Thank you” to your barista, or something more special like cleaning the house for your mom! Whatever it is, make sure it's from the heart.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!