A Heart of Gratitude

On Sunday we finished a short Bible study on “Cultivating a Heart of Gratitude.”  You should know by now my love for words and the meaning they hold… so each week I started with why I chose the title for this study. 

Cultivate means to nurture and help grow. Farmers cultivate crops, fundraising professionals cultivate donors, and celebrities cultivate their images.  When you cultivate something, you work to make it better. To cultivate anything requires attention to detail, an understanding of what is being cultivated, and a lot of patience.

Gratitude means thanks and appreciation. It's the warm feeling you get when someone helps you figure out a great solution to a difficult problem that you've been trying to solve.

Gratitude is more than a feeling, more than a habit; it is a mindset.  Gratitude is a learned trait, none of us come by it naturally.  It is something we must continually nurture within us.

Over the years I have begun to lean into a heart of gratitude.  It is a change in perspective that helps me see things through a grateful lens. It has been a gradual transformation, but I have found the results to be truly life changing.  I am at a place in my life that no matter what happens, good or bad, I am able to look at my circumstances with gratitude. 

How is your gratitude meter these days?  How can you cultivate a heart of gratitude?  If I could make a few suggestions…1) start a Gratitude journal.  At the end of every day take a few minutes to write down 2 or 3 things you are grateful for.  2) Write down a few scriptures about gratitude and put them in a place you will see them daily.  Putting God’s word in your mind helps cultivate gratitude in your heart.  3) Find a few friends and start a gratitude text chain.  Sharing one thing you are grateful for every day, this also helps you to be accountable in your daily gratitude!

As I get ready to spend Thanksgiving week with my family, my little Pastor heart is full of gratitude!  I am thankful for the amazing staff we have, that serve us with great passion.  I am grateful for your love, support, encouragement and friendship.  I am grateful beyond measure for the honor of being your pastor.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Blessings,
Pastor Jenni

Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens.
This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. (1 Thess 5:16-18)