Cultivating a Heart of Gratitude

“Give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (KJV)

November is generally a month when thoughts of thanksgiving begin to stir in many hearts, clearly sparked by the celebration held on the fourth Thursday of this month each year. As I reflect on what I’m grateful for this year, I find myself longing for something deeper. I long for a heart that lives in a perpetual state of gratitude rather than a periodic remembrance.

My heart overflows regularly with thankfulness for the many blessings God has given me. Yet I can’t help but wonder—what would it look like to live in a constant rhythm of gratitude, where thanksgiving isn’t an event but a posture? Is it even possible to live that way? Scripture tells us that it is not only possible, but it is God’s will for us in Christ Jesus.

A heart of gratitude is more than a list of blessings like family, friends, or favorable circumstances. It’s a heart positioned in continual worship and adoration of our Savior. There’s a reason this posture is God’s will: gratitude keeps our hearts soft, our eyes open, and our souls in tune with His presence. When we live with thankfulness, we stop focusing on ourselves and what we lack and start marveling at who He is.

So how can we cultivate a heart of unceasing gratitude?

Here are some practical ways to shift the posture of our hearts from thanksgiving as an action to a continual state of being.

1. Pray for New Eyes

Ask God to change your lens so that you begin to notice the blessings woven into your everyday life. Gratitude starts with awareness. When you take off the glasses of entitlement and put on the lens of grace, you begin to see His hand in the smallest details.

2. Reflect on What You Often Take for Granted

Pause to consider what your life would look like without the things you’ve grown used to—your home, your health, your loved ones, your freedoms. If you lived in a third-world country or a difficult circumstance, what would be different? Gratitude deepens when we realize how much we’ve been given.

3. Find Gratitude in God’s Word

Every verse of Scripture holds something to be thankful for—God’s promises, His faithfulness, His mercy, His character. As you read, look for reasons to praise Him, even in passages that challenge or convict you. You can even see opportunities for gratitude in the mundane scriptures, like those of lineage in the Old Testament, or in those of continued rebellion among the many kings who encouraged idol worship. We can be grateful that Jesus came from the lineage of people who were not so perfect, and that we are no longer subject to worldly kings and the wrath that ensued for those people because of Jesus’ death on the cross to cover ways that we behave similarly. Even in the Old Testament, the Gospel is present in every single book, and through the right lens, we will always find Jesus there.

4. Express Gratitude Often

Gratitude grows when it’s given away. Thank God openly and often. Speak encouragement over others. Write a note, send a text, or simply say, “I appreciate you.” Gratitude spoken is gratitude multiplied.

5. Practice Random Acts of Gratitude

Be intentional about expressing thankfulness in everyday encounters. Thank the cashier for her warm smile, the teacher for her patience, the coworker for her help. Small acts of appreciation can create ripples of joy in others’ hearts—and your own.

6. Surround Yourself with Grateful People

Gratitude is contagious. When you spend time with people who notice blessings instead of burdens, their outlook inspires you. On the other hand, constant complaining drains your spirit. Choose to walk with those who lift their eyes to God in thanksgiving.

7. Be Intentionally Grateful for the Mundane

In the everyday moments when our focus drifts toward ourselves, small inconveniences can feel bigger than they are and interrupt our rhythm of gratitude. Slow down and notice the parts of your day that stir frustration—long grocery lines, heavy traffic, or a phone call when you were hoping for quiet. Instead of viewing these moments as interruptions, try receiving them as gentle invitations. Be thankful, for example, that you can stand in that grocery line—that you’re healthy enough to be out, that you’re not sitting at the bedside of a critically ill loved one, that you have provision to buy food. When we practice gratitude in the smallest moments, it strengthens our hearts to give thanks in all things.

8. Find Joy in Trials

Even in hardship, we can be thankful that God wastes nothing. Every difficulty refines us and shapes us more into Christ’s likeness as James noted when He instructed us to “consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” (James 1:2–3)

9. Remember God’s Faithfulness

Reflect on the ways God has come through for you. Keep a journal of answered prayers and moments of His provision. When new challenges arise, those reminders will anchor your heart in the truth that God never fails. Great is His faithfulness!

10. Consider the Future and Eternity

Gratitude looks forward as much as it looks back. We can thank God not only for what He has done but also for what He will do. Our eternal hope in Christ guarantees that no matter what we face now, our story ends in victory. And greater still, it means that someday we will get to spend an eternity with Him as part of the sweet inheritance we’ve been given as His children in a place where there is no more sorrow, pain, or death, only immense love, joy, and peace. That definitely should bring excitement and gratitude to everyone who knows Him!

Today, however, we are still in this world, though we are not of it. Living with a heart of gratitude doesn’t mean ignoring hardship—it means recognizing that even in the midst of it, God is good. Gratitude doesn’t erase pain, but it transforms perspective. It reminds us that every breath, every sunrise, and every act of grace is a gift from a loving Father.

So this November—and every month after—may we not simply celebrate Thanksgiving, but live it. May our hearts overflow with gratitude that glorifies God in every season, every circumstance, and every breath. “Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:20).

Ardently His,

Leah

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