Gratitude: Finding Gratefulness Even When Life Is Hard
Written by Cheryl Boyce for Impact Church, Toronto
Note To Parents:
Welcome Back to Impact Church Toronto’s Week 8 in the Fighting Words Series.
This week we’re talking about gratefulness. We’ve also included a gratefulness journal page to help you and your family members this week begin a practice of having a heart of gratitude and recognizing God’s enduring love in our day to day experiences. We’d love to hear from you and your thoughts on this week’s devotional. Don’t forget to connect with us on Instagram today and let us know how this scripture has impacted your life.
We’re praying for you!
Have a great week!
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DEVOTIONAL
Gratitude has been a trendy topic for some time in our culture. There’s been endless blogs, books and podcasts produced about why it’s good for you as a habit.
The truth is, gratitude isn’t a new idea on how to live a more positive life. Having a heart of gratefulness has always been important, and the Bible was teaching it way before it became a buzzword.
Why is gratitude important? Science has proven now that it improves relationships when you express your thankfulness for the people in your life. It’s also proven to improve your physical and mental well being. Being grateful puts our mind at ease and can even help us get better sleep and lower anxiety.
It sounds pretty miraculous, doesn’t it? But, having a heart of gratitude can sometimes be difficult when we are struggling with something.
Maybe we’re having a hard time at school or work. In this scripture, we are reminded that our gratitude is focused on something bigger than our circumstances. We aren’t called to give thanks to just anyone, or for only the things going right in our life. We’re called to give thanks to the Lord because even when things aren’t good with us, HE is still good, and HIS love endures forever.
We can ALWAYS be grateful because of His lovingkindness.
When you realize how good of a God we serve, you can rest your head at night and let go of your anxieties knowing that He is good, faithful and loves you, and He will continue to carry you through.
If you were to look up this scripture in The Message, it puts it like this:
“HIS LOVE NEVER QUITS”
The love of God the Father is patient, kind and gracious. He will never abandon us, quit on us, or take back his love. His love is the kind of love that every human heart longs for, and He has made it available to each and every one of us.
When you allow your heart to understand that you are profoundly and infinitely loved, it will be so much easier to have a heart of gratitude.
Some Stuff To Think About
Question 1: Do you make it a habit to give thanks to God?
Question 2: Do you find it hard to be grateful when life is difficult?
Question 3: In this scripture, what are the reasons we’re given to be grateful to God?
Challenge: This wee,k, challenge yourself to make it a daily habit to see God’s love for you in the ordinary things you do and see in your day. We’ve included a gratitude journal for you to print off for each family member. Pick a specific day and make it a point to notice all the ways that God shows his love for you and write them down. Next week share what you’ve written on your sheet with a friend or a family member. Then, thank God for his love together.
PRAYER
(Here’s a prayer to pray together or on your own as you memorize your “Fighting Words” this week.)
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you so much for who you are. Lord, we are grateful for your loving kindness and enduring love. Thank you that regardless of our lives’ circumstances, you never give up and never quit. Thank you that we can always depend on you and trust you.
Help us to lean on your love when things get hard. Help us to see your love working in our lives. Father, we pray that you would teach us how to love like you and love others the way you do. Help us to be an example of your loving kindness and your enduring love for others.
We love you!
In Jesus’ name, we pray,
Amen!