Cultivating a Heart of Gratitude

This post was written by Children’s Ministries Director Melissa Mitchell

With Thanksgiving just a few weeks away, it is natural for our minds to turn toward giving thanks to God for His goodness to us. After all, that is what the holiday is for. My desire is to have a thankful heart all year round, not just in November. I’m also trying to help develop this in my oldest child’s heart and mind as well.

It isn’t easy. It seems our natural tendency is to dwell on what didn’t go well, what could have been improved, to think about what didn’t meet our expectations. Even tonight – I’m spending time answering my child’s questions and fears about fire in our house (there is no fire; she is concerned after having had a fire drill at school today!). Her thoughts are not preoccupied on being thankful for a warm, safe home – her thoughts are on her toys that would be lost in a fire. It is interesting how quickly our thoughts become irrational and fear takes over.

As a family, we have been trying to focus on God’s goodness and to give thanks often. Some simple ways we do that are by giving thanks before meal time, often including other items of thanksgiving. During night time prayers we also take time to give thanks. Another recent addition to our family traditions is to have a time of sharing our “highs & lows” (our daughter also added a medium category) each night during dinner. This has been an excellent way to get better insight into each other’s days and for us to share the good things that have happened to us.

My prayer is that as we grow in our gratitude toward God, we will come to know Him better, we will give Him praise more often and our hearts and minds will be guarded by the joy and peace that comes only from Him.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7