Gratitude does not always flow naturally. Sometimes we simply need to see a sunset to provide an opportunity to just sit in awe and be grateful. Day to day we do not always see a ‘sunset’ in the potentially mundane, annoying, frustrating or complex moments. That’s when it is a challenge to take a step back and choose gratitude so it can become a life-giving habit. Trust me, that is a daily challenge I experience. Looking for the easy ways to be grateful, like viewing a sunset, is one step closer to a heart full of gratitude on repeat. I have a dear friend that has made watching sunsets one of my most favourite moments. Our friendship goes back to our elementary school days and just keeps getting better! She is a light in my life and a life-line to my soul. The time we have together, chasing sunsets, has been one of the most wonderful gifts. During our conversations, it is her joy and chosen gratitude in life that is contagious. Her friendship is refreshing and precious. On those days that gratitude does not flow, I can think of our moments together that lift me up and put me back in the right place. To my fellow sunset chaser, thank you for friendship.

Last summer I came across a book by Mary Mohler called, Growing in Gratitude This is an inviting book on gratitude that has delightfully enraptured my heart. She crafts her words with the compelling truth of how gratitude is found in the gospel. In her book, she beautifully reminds us that “Grace leads to gratitude which leads to giving – and the Lord is glorified in the process, Fabulous!”

How can an entire book be written on gratitude? That is what I enjoy the most about this book. It demonstrates that gratitude can be all encompassing in our lives if we let it. It’s about thinking ‘thankfully’ in our circumstances, the small day-to-day moments to the larger situations. The challenge is even through the trials to be grateful and that is just hard to do well. Mary states, “Our thankful hearts spur us on to act like grateful people who in turn seek to show appreciation in a variety of ways to build up the church and spread the gospel.” What I love about this statement is that it comes down to our heart. What we fill our minds with and what is hidden in our hearts is critical to our gratefulness. We are reminded in Proverbs 4:23 (ESV) to, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” From the NIV it reads, ” Above all else, guard your heart,
for everything you do flows from it.”

If we can begin with our hearts in the right place, filled with a Christ-like mindset, it just might become a habit to choose gratitude!

Mary challenged me that, “Gratitude is so much more than running through the same old lists in our heads and rushed prayers while nodding off at night. We must not trivialize if for the simple reason that the Bible does not do so.” This challenge continues through the book and at the end she has some wonderfully practical insights for daily living.

I highly recommend the book and encourage you to take a pen or pencil to underline or circle what stands out to you and then write the thoughts down in a journal. Writing out gratitude is fantastic way to begin letting the habit fill our lives. Friday blessings!

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“The grace we have received compels us to be grateful, and in turn to desire to show grace and generosity to others.” ( )