5Things to Do to Have an Attitude of Gratitude

Whitney Hopler
1. Write a Daily List of Your Blessings

Make a daily habit of writing down a list of key blessings you’ve experienced that day. Choose three to five blessings that stand out for you from that particular day. You can write them in an ongoing gratitude journal. Or, you can simply jot down a quick list on a piece of paper. After you write your list each day, take a few minutes to reflect on those blessings and to thank God for them in a brief prayer. It can be especially powerful to do so at bedtime, because with your blessings in mind, you’ll feel peaceful and should be able to drift off to sleep well.

2. Sing a Thanksgiving Song to Your Generous Heavenly Father

Don’t hesitate to express your gratitude to God musically, since music is a powerful way to praise God. (Psalm 28:7) proclaims: “The Lord is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.” When your heart is filled with joy because of how God has worked in your life lately, sing a song to thank him for it.

3. Thank People Who Have Helped You

Think about the people who have helped you in some significant way – through encouragement, guidance, or service that has contributed to your success or strengthened your faith. Reflect on friends, family, teachers, coaches, and others whose help you appreciate. Then express your gratitude to each of them, specifically thanking them for what they did to help you. By taking the step of expressly thanking them, you’re helping them too, because they’ll feel God’s love working through you.

4. Pay Your Blessings Forward by Helping Others

Don’t let your blessings stop with you. Instead, pay them forward by helping others. (Hebrews 13:16) urges: “Don’t forget to do good and to share what you have because God is pleased with these kinds of sacrifices.” God will be pleased to see you helping other people as an expression of gratitude for what God has done for you. Ask God to show you how you can best use your resources (your time, money, and talents) to help people in need. Then make specific plans to volunteer, contribute, and serve in the ways God leads you to do so.

5. Pursue Joy

Joy is correlated with gratitude, because grateful people can notice God’s presence with them, and joy comes from connecting with God’s presence. Joy is one of the “fruit of the Spirit” listed in (Galatians 5:22-23). So, the Holy Spirit will help you pursue more joy. You can discover joy in every circumstance – even in difficult times. As you develop a joyful attitude, you’ll find yourself focusing on God and the ways God is working in your life. That will naturally help you develop an attitude of gratitude.