Showing gratitude and being thankful is something that is discussed among many groups of people. It becomes a hot topic, especially around Thanksgiving. Not only is gratitude often discussed in the Bible, but there are many benefits to practicing gratitude. Let’s discuss the why and how increasing the practice of gratitude in our lives and some ways to teach our children gratitude.
Practice gratitude
Practicing gratitude is important for everyone, including us as mothers. We often get caught up in the daily grind and start to focus on the negative aspects. How many times do I have to tell them that…? Why is it such an ordeal to go somewhere? Is it bedtime yet? Instead of focusing on what’s going wrong, let’s focus on the positives.
Why is practicing gratitude important?
When we get stuck in a pattern of complaining, we are only training our brains to look for the negative. We need to change that thinking pattern. As we practice gratitude, we begin to take our eyes off ourselves and our circumstances, and we begin to focus on others. We are grateful for what we have Doing have, and we begin to look to God. As our focus shifts, we are reminded of the blessings we truly have, and slowly we begin to focus less on ourselves and more on God and others.
Benefits of Gratitude
Has gratitude physical, psychological and social benefits such as reducing our stress, giving us a positive outlook on life and helping us feel more compassionate towards others. Being grateful helps us be happier and complain less… or not at all.
There are many benefits of gratitude to God. Gratitude reminds us of all of God’s blessings. He is the giver of good gifts. Gratitude reminds us to look at the positives, even in difficult circumstances. Practicing gratitude makes others more pleasant to be around, and it is a way we can follow God.
What does the Bible say about being thankful?
You may wonder if God has anything to say about gratitude, but the fact is that the Bible is full of praise and thanksgiving. God is certainly not silent on this subject. Let’s look at some examples.
Gratitude Scriptures
Philippians 4:6 reminds us to present our requests to God with thanksgiving, and Colossians 2:7 tells us to “abound in thanksgiving.” Thanksgiving and gratitude should be an important part of our lives.
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” 1Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV
Did you understand the above verse? Go back and read it again. ‘Thank you all We tend to think about what we are grateful for at certain times, but often we complain about small inconveniences. We are so spoiled today! Consider the following verse, which reminds us where our gifts really come from.
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.” James 1:17
This Gratitude Coloring Book will help you relax while you focus on what you are grateful for. What a great way to practice gratitude!
Psalms of Thanksgiving
We can find so many in the Psalms Bible verses about gratitude and gratitude. I’ll just mention a few, but I challenge you to look up a few more. Choose one and write it on a card for meditation and memorization, especially if you struggle with gratitude.
“I will thank the LORD for his righteousness, and I will praise the name of the LORD Most High.” Psalms 7:17
“I will praise the name of God with song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.” Psalm 69:30
God is magnified or exalted by our thanksgiving. Here are other great Psalms full of praise and thanksgiving:
“O come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.” Psalm 95:1-3
“Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” Psalm 107:1
Psalm 100 can be a well-known psalm of praise and thanksgiving. I won’t post everything here, but I especially love verses 4-5:
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courtyards with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” Psalm 100:4,5
Reasons to be grateful to God
We have so many reasons to be grateful to God, and we can be grateful express gratitude to Him by thanking Him for all He has done for us. What things can we be grateful for?
- Rescue. Only through the atoning death of Jesus on the cross do we have salvation. Without Him we would not have the hope of forgiveness of sins.
- God’s love. God loves us more than we can even imagine. Because of His love we can also love others.
- Prayer. How wonderful is it that the God who created the whole world wants to listen to our prayers? He even tells us to do it and how to do it. What a wonderful privilege!
- The Bible. The Bible is God’s inspired Word to us. In it we learn who God is, how He works and how we should live.
- Christian community. We were created to live in community and not in solitude. We draw strength and encouragement from living in community and fellowship with other followers of Jesus.
- God’s character. We can be grateful for who God is by His nature. He is holy, righteous, forgiving, trustworthy, and in control of all things (along with many other qualities).
- Family. God has given us our parents, siblings, spouses, children, etc. Let us thank Him for each of the precious people in our lives.
- Samples. Yes, I said trials. The point is: we really can to trust that God is at work even in our trials. God can work all things for our good, and give us the grace we need to get through our trials (see Romans 8:28 And 2 Corinthians 12:9).
As mothers, unless we prioritize our relationship with God, it can easily fall by the wayside. Learn more about grow closer to God. As we grow closer to Him, we also become better wives and mothers.
How do you teach children gratitude?
So we have seen that there are many benefits to practicing and expressing gratitude And that God wants us to give thanks and praise. Now you may be wondering how we not only grow in the practice of gratitude ourselves, but also how we do it teach our children gratitude? Teaching our children doesn’t have to be difficult. Check out these ideas:
- “Thank you.” Simply teach your children to say thank you when someone gives them something or says something nice to them.
- Model. As we express gratitude for many things throughout the day, we model gratitude toward our children.
- To share. While eating, take turns saying at least one thing you are grateful for that day.
- Random acts of kindness. As a family, think of some acts of kindness you can do along the way or for your neighbors. This diverts attention from yourself and others.
- Volunteer. Like the idea above, volunteering helps change your focus, especially if those you serve are less fortunate than you. Food banks are an idea of where your family could be served.
- Gratitude printables. Check out Pinterest for some simple gratitude prints for your kids to color and complete. Older children will probably prefer a regular diary.
Ways to practice gratitude
Some of the ideas mentioned above are not only great for teaching our children how to practice gratitude, but are also great for us. Below are some great resources and ideas for ways to practice gratitude in our own lives.
- Read Ann Voskamp’s A thousand gifts. In this book, Ann Voskamp tells how she started writing down things she was grateful for and what happened during the trip.
- Start one Gratitude journal. A gratitude journal is a great way to help you focus on finding things big and small that you are grateful for. Write them down and look back at them every now and then.
- Try one 30 Day Gratitude Challenge. The internet is full of them. Many of these challenges are ideas to get you started on what you are grateful for in a particular category.
- Gratitude pot. Have your family write down the things they are grateful for on pieces of paper and put them in a jar. You can take them out every month or so and read them together as a family.
Click on the image below to get your FREE gratitude journal prompts and more!
Growing the practice of gratitude may not have seemed necessary at first, but I hope you now see the importance of expressing gratitude daily for the many blessings we truly have. Which verse spoke to you the most? What are you already doing or planning to do to cultivate gratitude in your life and that of your family? Let me know below.
You may be interested in:
For more content like this, sign up below.
