Gratitude: Why You Should Practice Being Grateful Daily
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Why practice gratitude daily? There are many reasons…Below you’ll even find a list of gratitude scriptures to help you foster this new habit of giving God thanks.
Not enough money in the bank to pay your bills?
A cancer diagnosis?
A wayward son or daughter?
While these may not be things to be grateful for, the Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5:18 to be thankful IN all things. That doesn’t mean to be thankful FOR all things.
Being grateful simply acknowledges that in spite of everything that may be going wrong in your life, you are thankful to God. If even that means the only thing going right is you still being alive and breathing on this earth, that’s more than enough reason to be grateful.
Why It’s So Important to Regularly Practice Gratitude
Even when you’re going through hard times, being able to express gratitude trains your soul (mind, will, and emotions) to embrace the positive. When you live with an attitude of thanksgiving, you become more prone to seeing the “glass half full” versus seeing it half empty.
When you express gratitude to the Creator, you open doors for God’s blessings to come into your life.
Gratitude is more than just saying thank you. It’s a matter of the heart. It is also not a feeling. It’s a decision.
3 Ways to Practice Gratitude
Practicing gratitude doesn’t mean you are thanking God for everything in your life going perfectly. There will be seasons when you’re dealing with challenges, seemingly unanswered prayers, or responsibilities that leave you feeling overwhelmed. But even in those seasons, there’s always something to thank God for.
Here are three simple ways to make gratitude a regular part of your life.
1. Journaling: Put Your Thankfulness in Writing
One of the simplest ways to practice gratitude is to write down what you’re thankful for. Keeping a gratitude journal gives you a place to record God’s goodness in your life, including the little blessings you might otherwise overlook.
As women, we wear many hats. Between caring for our families, managing our homes, working, serving in ministry, and tending to our own needs, it’s easy to become so focused on what needs to be done that we forget to appreciate what God has already done.
That’s where gratitude journaling can help.
You don’t need to write pages every day. Start by recording three things you’re thankful for each morning or before going to bed. Some days, you might write about a major answered prayer. Other days, you might simply thank God for a peaceful morning, a productive conversation, or the strength to make it through a difficult day.
And when you’re struggling to find something to be thankful for, revisit your previous journal entries. They can serve as reminders of God’s faithfulness during seasons when you need encouragement.
10 Gratitude Journal Prompts for Christian Women
If you’re unsure where to begin, use these prompts to reflect on the blessings in your life and the ways God has been faithful to you.
1. Your relationship with God: What are three ways God has demonstrated His faithfulness to you recently, even if your circumstances haven’t changed?
2. Your body and health: What is one thing your body allows you to do today that you sometimes take for granted? How can you thank God for it?
3. Your family: Who in your family are you especially grateful for right now? What is something about that person you appreciate but rarely express?
4. Your personal growth: Think about the woman you were five years ago. What challenges has God brought you through, and what changes in yourself are you grateful for?
5. Your friendships: Who has been a blessing in your life through their encouragement, prayers, or support? How has this person made a difference in your life?
6. Your daily responsibilities: What is one responsibility that sometimes feels burdensome but represents a blessing in your life? How might looking at it through the lens of gratitude change your perspective?
7. Your seemingly unanswered prayers: Is there an area of your life where you’re still waiting on God to answer? What can you genuinely thank Him for while you wait?
8. Your gifts and abilities: What talents, skills, or spiritual gifts has God given you? How have they allowed you to bless someone else?
9. Your everyday blessings: What five small things brought you comfort, peace, or happiness this week that you might normally overlook?
10. Your future: As you consider the next season of your life, what past experiences give you reasons to trust God with what’s ahead?
You can answer one prompt each day or choose whichever speaks to your current circumstances.
If you’d like a little structure, check out the 5 Minute Journal, a wonderful tool I’ve used for many years to help remind me to practice gratitude daily.
2. Verbalizing: Tell God What You’re Thankful For
You don’t always need a journal or a dedicated prayer session to practice gratitude. Sometimes, all it takes is opening your mouth and saying, “Thank You, Lord.”
Make a habit of expressing your gratitude to God throughout the day. You can thank Him while you’re getting dressed, preparing breakfast, driving to work, or taking a few moments to yourself.
And don’t limit your thanksgiving to just the big things.
For example, you can thank God for the feeling of the wind against your skin. I thank Him for my fine natural hair, not because it’s fine, but because I have hair at all!
Think about the things you experience every day without giving them much thought. Being able to see a beautiful sunrise, hear your children’s laughter, enjoy a good meal, or get out of bed in the morning are all reasons to give God thanks.
Try making your gratitude specific. Instead of simply saying, “Lord, thank You for everything,” name the individual blessings He’s given you.
Thank Him for the provision that allowed you to pay a bill. Thank Him for the friend who called when you needed encouragement. Thank Him for giving you patience when you felt like you had none left.
And don’t forget to thank Him for the prayers He answered differently than you expected. Sometimes, it’s only when we look back that we recognize how God was protecting, redirecting, or preparing us.
As 1 Thessalonians 5:18 reminds us, we’re instructed to give thanks in all circumstances. That doesn’t mean we have to be thankful for every painful experience. It means we can still find reasons to thank God in the middle of those experiences.
3. Donating: Express Your Gratitude Through Giving
Gratitude isn’t limited to what we write in our journals or say when we pray. We can also demonstrate our thankfulness through our actions.
One way to do this is by giving to others out of the abundance God has given to us.
And abundance doesn’t always mean having extra money in your bank account. You can give your time, energy, attention, resources, or even your physical strength.
Maybe you have clothing in excellent condition that another woman or child could use. Perhaps you can prepare a meal for a family going through a difficult season, volunteer at your church, or help an elderly neighbor with errands.
You could even offer to babysit for a mother who desperately needs a few hours to herself.
The point isn’t how much you give. It’s the heart behind your giving.
Remember, giving doesn’t have to be complicated, expensive, or exhausting. If you’re already stretched thin, don’t feel obligated to take on another major responsibility. Sometimes, a thoughtful phone call, a handwritten note, or a sincere word of encouragement is exactly what someone needs.
As 2 Corinthians 9:7 teaches us, God loves a cheerful giver. Let your generosity come from a place of gratitude rather than guilt or obligation.
10 Thanksgiving Bible Verses for Your Dinner Table
While the ideas I gave you are ways to help you practice gratitude, they are not complete without the Word of God.
So, below are 10 scriptures to help you build a habit of expressing Thanksgiving to the Lord. The scriptures are grouped in a way to build the Word of God into your family’s Thanksgiving dinner.
1. Psalm 107:1
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.”
Purpose: Provides a reminder of God’s goodness.
2. 1 Thessalonians 5:18
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Purpose: Centers the entire family on gratitude beyond just the meal being eaten.
3. James 1:17
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.”
Purpose: Reminds everyone present that the blessings on the table (and in life) come from God.
4. Colossians 3:17
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
Purpose: Frames the act of eating and communing with the family as part of worship.
5. Ephesians 5:20
“Always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Purpose: Reframes how you see life’s circumstances to be thankful in spite of them
6. Psalm 118:24
“This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice today and be glad.”
Purpose: Reminds everyone to be present (phones and games down!) and celebrate the day as God’s gift.
7. Philippians 4:6
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”
Purpose: Brings peace to the day while balancing thanksgiving with trust, even in times of need.
8. Colossians 3:15
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts… And be thankful.”
Purpose: To connect thanksgiving with peace in Jesus.
9. Hebrews 12:28
“Since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe.”
Purpose: Shifts the focus of being grateful for not only earthly blessings but also, our eternal hope.
10. Psalm 100:4
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”
Purpose: A joyful closing verse that you can pray right before a prayer of blessing.
Since this post was initially shared on Thanksgiving Day, I pray your day is blessed and you are able to practice gratitude throughout the day. May God bless you and your family.
