Cultivate gratitude

Skye Pournazari
Pastor Kim Mitchell First United Methodist Church

Over the past 12 days I have been engrossed in a book by Ann Voskamp. It is titled “One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are.” It is a very personal story of Voskamp’s journey to peace by way of finding glimpses of God’s grace in ordinary means. Chapter 3 begins with a quote that captures the character of her book:

Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world (Sarah Ban Breathnach) (Voskamp, page 42).

Meditate on that for a moment if you will.

The word gratitude is derived from the Latin word gratia, which means grace, graciousness, or gratefulness (depending on the context). In some ways, gratitude encompasses all of these meanings. Gratitude is a thankful appreciation for what an individual receives, whether tangible or intangible.

With the expression of gratitude, we can acknowledge the goodness in our lives. In the process, we begin to recognize that the source of that goodness lies at least partially outside ourselves. As people of faith, we trust that the source is God. Perhaps that is part in part of how our relationship with God grows. We see the blessings. We live the blessings. We see God is good. We live the goodness of God.

Just as relationships need cultivation, our gratitude towards God and others needs to be cultivated

How can we find ways to cultivate gratitude? How can we cultivate the ability to appreciate the intangible blessings in our life?

Voskamp was approached by a friend during a very difficult time to begin cultivating her gratitude. Voskamp was dared to write a list of a thousand things she loved, and so she begins: “One: Morning shadows across the old floors; Two: Jam piled high on the toast; Three: Cry of the blue jay from high in the spruce (Voskamp, page 45) …”

And she asks, “Can I write a list of a thousand things I love? To name one thousand blessings?” And the list goes on.

As I read this book, I am seeing that these small things are blessings that teach us to truly live.

Last week I shared with my church that this would be a great month to begin a fruitful habit of writing thank-you notes, as part of our worship series, The Art of Giving Thanks. We are seeking practical ways to express thankfulness. Art does take practice if we want to become good at it. Psychology tells us that we can make ourselves happier and nurture our relationship with another person by writing thank-you letters. Thank you letters tell of a person’s impact on our life. Try it. See how it feels in this month of thankfulness. You still have plenty of days left to make it into a positive habit.

Or maybe you too can start a gratitude list like Voskamp. It does not have to be a list of one thousand (although she made it all the way!) Maybe you can begin by keeping a gratitude journal. Make it a habit to write down or share with a loved one your thoughts about the intangible gifts you’ve see around you each day.

I meet people every week through our Cancer Support group network who are seeking to find blessings in one of the biggest storms they will face: a cancer diagnosis for themselves or for a loved one. A few weeks back I had a one-on-one support session with a wife whose husband was diagnosed. She shared with me her blessings journal, in that every day she writes down a blessing. It is not a fancy journal, just a stack of papers that hold those things that she counts as blessings in the middle of the storm. It is a needed reminder of the good surrounding her. She trusts God is working good in her life. I asked if I could share this in our worship series this month because I found it so encouraging. She was grateful.

Are you seeking encouragement in your life? If so, will you be willing to take the dare to believe you can name one thousand blessings? Gratitude is redeeming. Gratitude bestows reverence.

(Book insights from Voskamp, Ann, “One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are.” Zondervan. Grand Rapids, Michigan. 2010)