Cultivating Gratitude in an Ungrateful World

Did you know that there is something you can do right now to elevate the spiritual climate in your home? There is a powerful way to help grow the faith of your family and that is by cultivating gratitude in your home. Multiple studies shows that gratitude has a significant impact on our health, relationships, and overall well-being. Take a moment to read with us as we, explore some practical ways to foster gratitude in your family and strengthen your spiritual life. At TRS, we love partnering with you and your family! Let’s take a look at three basic ways to implement gratitude.

Teach It: It is challenging for students to see past their immediate circumstances. However, routinely showing them of what they have to be thankful for in the midst of tough times, or reminding them to demonstrate gratitude and generosity when things are going well, helps. As parents, we can help our children to develop the old attitude of gratitude by teaching them to give thanks in all things, even in difficult times. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, we are instructed to "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." Other scriptures, such as Philippians 4:6-7 and Colossians 3:17, speak of giving thanks and demonstrating gratitude in all areas of life. By instilling this mindset in our children, we help them to see the world through a lens of gratitude and thankfulness.

Demonstrate It: It is of utmost importance that we don’t just teach our kids to be grateful. If they don’t see us doing the same, our words will be of no effect. Gratitude can be demonstrated in many ways. Try showing gratitude towards others for things done within our home (even if it is something they are expected to do) or when we are out connecting with others outside the home. How we treat the things we have (such as our possessions) demonstrates our gratitude. Consider this as well. Some behavior that we refrain from also shows gratitude. Refusing to complain about things we don't have or things that didn't meet our expectations is a major way we model contentment and gratitude. By modeling gratitude in our behavior, we show our children that gratitude is not just something we talk about, but it is something we live out in our daily lives.

Speak It: Speaking of talking about it, we can cultivate gratitude in our family's spiritual life by being intentional about speaking out gratitude regularly within your home. This could be through daily conversations where you and your family members share what you are thankful for. It could also be through keeping a gratitude journal where each person writes down what they are grateful for each day. You could even make it a fun activity by using a gratitude jar, where family members can write down what they are grateful for and drop it in the jar. This helps to create a culture of gratitude in your home, and reminds us to focus on the good things in life, even when things are tough.

Scripture is clear that as believers, gratitude should be a core element of our being. Thankfulness in all things is tough and isn’t always natural. So cultivating gratitude in your family's spiritual life is a powerful way to strengthen your relationships, your mental health, and your overall well-being. By demonstrating gratitude, teaching gratitude, and speaking out gratitude, you help your kids to develop a mindset that will serve them well throughout their lives. Remember, "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

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