Live Everyday with a Grateful Heart

Living with a grateful heart is essential to the Christian life. Everyday we receive God’s grace, blessings, and the opportunity to show our love and appreciation to our Heavenly Father. By starting our day with praise, learning to be optimistic, remembering God’s sovereignty, and putting our troubles in perspective, we can live everyday with a grateful heart attitude towards the Father.

Tip #1 to a Grateful Heart: Start the Day with Praise

In the morning, Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly.

–Psalm 5:3

When you begin your day by thanking God for the previous day’s blessings or just thanking Him in general, it sets the tone for the entire day. It helps you to keep the events of the day, good or bad, in perspective as you experience them. One of the ways you can start your day with praise is by having a morning quiet time. During a quiet time, you can sing worship songs, pray, and read the Bible. This would be the perfect opportunity to incorporate praising God into your morning.

Lastly, praising God in the morning is only the beginning. According to 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, we are to “rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for [us].” We are called to give thanks and praise God throughout the day each day! It takes time and patience but getting in the habit of praying throughout the day can remind you to be grateful and to have an eternal perspective. Not sure how to start this habit? You can start by extending meal time prayers so that you thank God for more than your food. You can also read a short devotional during a break in the middle of the day or in the evening. Devotionals are short scripturally sound lessons that can act as a great tool to help you refocus on God and remember Him in prayer.

Tip #2 to a Grateful Heart: Learn to be an Optimist

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

–Philippians 4:8

According to the Bible, we are called to think positively. Why? Because we serve a good God who loves us and takes care of our needs. If you struggle with negative thinking, it can be hard to think positively. One technique that could help is memorizing scripture regarding worry or God’s love. The Bible tells us to renew our minds (Romans 12:2) and memorizing scripture will help us change our mindset. You should also pray through these scriptures and ask God to help you with whatever is causing you to worry. It will take time, persistence, and patience, but you will eventually start to feel comfortable relying on God.

Another way that you can overcome negative thinking and anxiety is to remind yourself of God’s character through scripture. We often do not trust God in our situation or have a distrust of His planning or timing for our lives. Reminding ourselves of God’s love and goodness towards us will help us to confront the lie that we can’t trust God. Once we are able to fully put our trust in God, we can rely on Him and find contentment as we trust His love, planning, and timing in our lives.

Tip #3 to a Grateful Heart: Remember God’s Sovereignty

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to his purpose.

–Romans 8:28

Finding contentment in God’s sovereignty can be a big stumbling block to living everyday with a grateful heart. This is because it’s hard to be grateful when we feel as if God is not helping us in the way we desire. Not only do we have to remember to be optimistic because we serve a loving Father, but we also have to remember that we can be grateful because God is all-powerful, omniscient, and in complete control of the universe. This allows us to relinquish control of our lives to Him.

When we choose to reject God’s will for our lives, we are behaving as if we can do a better job of taking care of ourselves than God. We may secretly feel that God isn’t all-powerful or, worse, that God is incompetent. None of these things are true. If we truly believe God is all-mighty, good, and all-knowing, then we should feel comfortable letting Him lead us. In fact, knowing that He is leading us should help us feel grateful.

Tip #4 to a Grateful Heart: Put Your Troubles in Perspective

In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.

–John 16:33

It is hard to be grateful when it feels like your life is exploding around you. Hardship and grief can understandably make it very difficult to have gratitude. During times of trouble, we often ask God why He allowed us to suffer. We don’t always get an answer on this side of heaven. This is probably one of the hardest parts of being a Christian—having faith even when things are hard.

Something that we do know is that this world, as it is, is not our true home. Unfortunately, we will never have true peace or a perfect existence in this sinful world. However, we are able to look forward to being with God in heaven one day. According to Revelations 21:4, “[God] will wipe every tear from [our] eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 

It is hard, but we must put our hardships, big or small, in an eternal perspective. If you find this difficult, bring your grief, anger, or sorrow to God in prayer. Ask others to pray for you. Authentic faith isn’t everything being okay every single day. It is learning to be in relationship with God when things are both good and bad. Ask God to heal you and bring peace to your heart.

If you’re looking for more resources to help you grow in gratitude and contentment on your walk of faith? Check out some of my other blogpost in this series.

What are your tips for living every day with a grateful heart? Comment below!