Many people count their blessings only during the holiday season, but they are shortchanging themselves in doing so. We should express thanks and gratitude daily. Doing so opens the door to living a more joyous and purposeful life. And, the more grateful we are the more good things seem to come our way. It’s how God has wired the universe.
There are over 400 passages in the Bible on thanksgiving and gratitude. In fact, from the Bible we find that gratitude is an attitude. It is far more than being thankful.
God wants gratitude to be the primary motivator in our lives. We are to do all things from a position of gratitude. And, we are to be thankful in all our circumstances.Â
Health Benefits of Gratitude
- Gratitude improves our brain and physical health.
- Gratitude creates happiness. The happiest people are those who are most grateful. Want to be more happy? Become more grateful.
- Gratitude improves sleep.
- Gratitude improves relationships.
- Gratitude reduces stress.
Do you want to know how mature someone is? How grateful are they? Those who are most grateful tend to be most mature.Â
Quotes on Gratitude and Thanksgiving
Below are quotes on giving thanks and expressing gratitude. May the following quotes rekindle an attitude of gratitude in you! It is not possible to be the best you without an attitude of gratitude. Your attitude for the day is set in those first few minutes after you awaken.
Awaken with a gracious heart. Expressing gratitude provides perspective in our life. It helps to ground us and orient us to what is most important. Gratitude brings hope. And, it reduces stress.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Phillipians 4:6
The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things. Henry Beecher
Hold material goods and wealth on a flat palm and not in a clenched fist. Alistair Begg
Joy is the simplest form of gratitude. Karl Barth
No matter what our circumstances, we can find a reason to be thankful. David Jeremiah
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name. Psalm 100:4
Gratitude is an offering precious in the sight of God, and it is one that the poorest of us can make and not be poorer but richer for having made it. A.W. Tozer
The way to develop the best that is in a person is by appreciation and encouragement. Charles Scwab
He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has. Epictetus
Silent gratitude isn’t very much to anyone. Gertrude Stein
Things turn out best for people who make the the best of the way things turn out. John Wooden
The deepest craving of human nature is the need to be appreciated. William James
The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you. John E. Southard
This is a wonderful day. I’ve never seen this one before. Maya Angelou
The real gift of gratitude is that the more grateful you are, the more present you become. Robert Holden
The struggle ends when gratitude begins. Neale Donald Walsch
You cannot do kindness too soon because you never know how soon it will be too late. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever, have enough. Oprah Winfrey
The thankful heart sees the best part of every situation. It sees problems and weaknesses as opportunities, struggles as refining tools, and sinners as saints in progress. Francis Frangipane
If you want to find happiness, find gratitude. Steven Marboli
And, let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15
Gratitude List
What are you grateful for?
How about starting with being thankful for being alive? If your life is not shaping out to be what you want, it may because of your attitude (gratitude).
If you have a hard time discovering things you should be thankful for, just work your way down the alphabet. How many things that start with an “A” can you be grateful for. How about those things that start with a “B”, and so on.
As you go down the alphabet think of people in your life – family and friends, mentors, coaches, and even people whose names you may have never known but somehow affected your life. Think of special moments, holidays, vacations, special events. Think of all the things you appreciate through the various senses: Â what you see, what you hear, what you smell, what you touch.
Think of the talents and gifts you have been given. Think of setbacks and defeats that helped shaped you and made you better in the long run. Think of the future and the promise it holds for you.
Keep a gratitude list and considering carrying it with you and reflect on that list when you have free time during your busy day. You will see a change in how you see the world when you express gratitude. And, the world will see a change in you. Â
Express gratitude and become the best you!
