Giving Thanks: Spiritual Practices of Gratitude 

I am so grateful for autumn. Growing up in balmy Southern California, I had never really experienced fall weather. I was used to what Phyllis Diller famously referred to as the four seasons of Los Angeles: “fire, flood, mud, and drought.” Since relocating to Canada, I have been constantly overwhelmed by the beauty of fall in Southern Ontario. The trees that glow red, orange, and yellow, like fire, and the cool, crisp air make me want to spend all of my time just basking in God’s glorious creation. 

To me, celebrating Harvest Thanksgiving in October, at the peak of fall, is perfect timing. Not only is it the choice time to express our thanks for the abundant gifts of the harvest, but I think it is also a great time to enter into an intentional spiritual practice of gratitude. 

The Call and the Evidence 

Scripture is replete with calls for us to continually express gratitude: “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:16–18), “be thankful” (Colossians 3:15), “with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6–7), “O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good” (Psalm 107:1 and 1 Chronicles 16:34), to list just a few. Our spiritual forebears wisely knew that regularly giving thanks would be beneficial for sustaining our loving relationships with God, each other, and all creation.  

Today, science is affirming this ancient wisdom. Studies have found that a regular practice of gratitude has a positive association with lower levels of depression, anxiety and stress, as well as with a lowering in diastolic blood pressure.1 

A regular practice of gratitude can also be profoundly countercultural. Part of what drives our economic engine today is dissatisfaction, disconnection, and envy. If advertising can convince us that we are empty, lacking, and have less than others, we can be sold all kinds of things and experiences in an effort to alleviate what is ailing us.  

Gratitude, by contrast, recognizes abundance in what we already have. Additionally, gratitude can help remind us of all the people involved in producing and sustaining how we live. We remember we are not alone in this world but rather supported and surrounded by the goodwill and work of many invisible hands. Gratitude declares that God does indeed provide, and as we feel more satisfied, connected, and loved, we can begin to see others and the world around us more clearly. The result is usually more purposeful energy, generosity, creativity, and joy. 

Spiritual Practices in Gratitude 

If you would like to build up more gratitude in your life, here are some intentional spiritual practices you can try: 

• Write a thank-you note.
  Think of someone who fills you with gratitude. Then, write them a note, thanking them for who they are and what they give you and the world.
   

• Create a gratitude journal or scrapbook.
  Intentionally write down at least 5 things for which you are grateful each day. You can use photos or images as well. Add any words of thanksgiving to God for these gifts you are noticing in your life.
   

• Spend intentional time with the people, places, or activities for which you are grateful.
  As you interact with whom and what you are most grateful for, pay attention to what makes you so thankful for them and express that gratitude to both them and God.
   

• Say a grace of thanksgiving before each meal.
  Pausing to express our thanks to God before eating is a wonderful opportunity to regularly remember other things in our lives we might be thankful for, too. If you would like some beautiful words to help you pray, the Book of Alternative Services has several lovely short prayers for grace on pages 694-695.
   

• Go for a gratitude walk in nature or your neighbourhood.
  As you walk through God’s creation, pause every few minutes and notice anything beautiful or fascinating that catches your eye. Thank God for each thing that you notice.
   

• Memorize a prayer of thanksgiving.
  The act of memorizing can help our hearts to live out the words in our lives. There are several delightful prayers in the Book of Alternative Services (p. 128-129, 694-696). This one on page 697 is especially lovely and easy to adapt and put to memory:
   

Our Lord God, we thank you for all your blessings, for life and health, for laughter and fun, for all our powers of mind and body, for our homes and the love of dear ones, for everything that is beautiful, good and true. But above all we thank you for giving your Son to be our Saviour and Friend. May we always find our true happiness in pleasing you and helping others to know and love you, for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.