Returning to Joy through Gratitude
Conflict lingers unresolved, but as the day wanes, you look at the ribboned sky and just breathe.
Finances are tight, but as you sit down to a simple meal, you whisper thanks.
The loss feels like a gaping hole in your chest, but as you put your feet on the floor for a new day, you offer a prayer of trust.
Unanswered questions about the future bombard you, but alone in your car, you lift a song of praise.
These acts of defiance–and a hundred others–represent a simple choice: joy.
In a culture obsessed with gratification and pleasure, true joy is almost a foreign concept, but for the follower of Christ, it can be home base. Through gratitude, trust, and worship, we can re-tune ourselves to the joyful song of love at the center of God’s heart.
It’s November, and many folks are talking about giving thanks, but don’t let that be a reason to dismiss this powerful practice. Gratitude is literally a cheat code for fostering joy!
practices for gratitude & joy
Here’s a compilation of some intentional gratitude practices you can try that will recenter you in joy:
- Start a gratitude journal: This classic activity simply works. Begin or end each day with a list of 10 specific things you’re thankful for. If I’m struggling to have a positive outlook toward someone or something, I’ll make sure at least half of my thanks are about that person or situation.
- Make grateful art: A collage of torn paper, each piece with someone or something you’re thankful for, is a no-skills-required way to get started.
- Take a thankfulness walk: Dedicate a walk outdoors to thanking God for every beautiful thing you see.
- Start a grateful conversation: Ask people throughout your day what they’re thankful for and share your thanks, too.
- Write a thank-you letter: Stir joy in someone else by writing a letter of thanks (handwritten is most personal and powerful) and mailing it to them.
- Choose a gratitude reminder: Pick an object or location that can serve as a gratitude trigger for you. Give thanks every time you turn on that lamp, or smell your coffee, or hear that alarm, or walk into that room.
- Memorize a scripture related to giving thanks: Some favorites are 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Psalm 100:4, Philippians 4:6, and Colossians 3:17.
To be clear, I’m not in any way asking you to sweep your pain under a rug and paste a fake smile on your face. Part of this practice of choosing joy is, ironically, learning to lament. When we fully engage with our struggles in conversation with God, we simultaneously open our hearts up for deeper expressions of joy. Joy and pain are two sides of the same coin.
After we’ve poured out our hearts in prayer, we are more ready to trust God and thank Him for His unchanging love regardless of our circumstances.
Let’s choose joy today.
