It鈥檚 official 鈥� 2024 is coming to a close. With every year that goes by, it鈥檚 natural to look back and find positive and negative moments to reflect on. Moments like when you accomplished a fitness goal or achieved a grade you worked so hard for, or maybe when you didn鈥檛 get the promotion you thought was yours. Regardless of what might be going through your mind, one thing is for sure: you can always find a way to be grateful and accept the year for what it was. As believers, we submit ourselves to the idea that God grants us the days of our life as He wishes; every day is a gift, ultimately given by Him. And while not every day can feel like a gift, it鈥檚 important to remember to be grateful for the chances we are given. Chances to live, spend time with family and friends, travel, breathe fresh air, and even connect with God no matter the circumstances surrounding us.聽
Gratitude is not something easy, though. After all, if it was, everyone would do it. According to , gratitude is more like a spontaneous feeling that can increase with practice. It takes you to make a conscious effort to 鈥渃ount your blessings鈥� every day. Studies even show that people who deliberately cultivate gratitude have stronger relationships with friends, family, coworkers, animals, nature, and life in general; . Think about it. Simply taking some time to reflect and pause can directly affect your health for the better. Contrary to gratefulness, which is attributed more to a mood or personality trait, gratitude is an active practice that requires diligence, mindfulness, and connection.聽
As this year comes to an end, it鈥檚 a good idea to start developing the life-giving habit of showing gratitude for 2024. Here are a few simple ways to start:聽
Notice The Good Around You
It can be easy to overlook specks of goodness in your life. You can think of these as 鈥榣ittle moments.鈥� Maybe it鈥檚 seeing someone hold the door for someone else, seeing someone pay for another鈥檚 coffee, or even watching a bird bring food to its nest. Whatever it is that you see, remember to take a moment and thank God for granting you the chance to witness His love, mercy and goodness toward His creation. While you notice it, give thanks to God for being good to you. It鈥檚 through this simple action that you will start to notice how much good there is.聽
Write Down What You鈥檙e Grateful For
Writing is not everyone鈥檚 forte. However, you don鈥檛 need to write beautifully to capture what you鈥檙e grateful for every single day. Whether it鈥檚 in bullet form, or a page expressing your gratitude for the people and things in your life, writing down your 鈥榖lessings鈥� can be an easy way to reflect on how far God has brought you from one day to the next. Many call this action, journaling. Psychologists argue that there are to journaling, including expressing your emotions, reducing your anxious thoughts and giving you a physical recall of the things that have happened in your life. Whenever you鈥檙e feeling like life is not going your way, you can always go back to your journal and instantly see how God has moved in your life. Writing down what you鈥檙e grateful for can even help you become less prideful and selfish, as you see how much you really do have, versus what you don鈥檛.聽
Practice Gratitude Rituals Like Prayer
There is a reason why Christians around the world say 鈥榞race鈥� before every meal. Theologian John Piper says that the whole point of a mealtime prayer is to 鈥� not to ensure that our food is necessarily 鈥渂lessed.鈥� After all, food eaten before a prayer is not any less blessed by God. However, giving thanks through a gratitude ritual like prayer places your heart in a position of glorifying God instead of turning to yourself. And while there is no time limit to saying a prayer of thanks, you should remember that every prayer should be said with the utmost respect and with a heart completely attuned to God.聽
Express Gratitude In Big And Small Ways聽
It sounds simple but saying 鈥榯hank you鈥� can go a long way in practicing gratitude, even on your worst days. Even if life feels like it鈥檚 falling apart, your manners and gratitude should never go out the window just because you don鈥檛 feel like it. The good thing is, there are several ways to express gratitude beyond just 鈥榯hanks.鈥� Here are just a few different ways you can vocally express your appreciation:聽
- I appreciate what you did.
- Thank you for thinking of me.
- Thank you for your time today.
- I am so thankful for what you did.
- I really appreciate your help. Thank you.
Learn To Be Present With All Your Emotions
Part of growing in your practice of gratitude includes accepting that not every day will be a great day. Some days will bring sadness, anger, frustration and gloom; and those are okay, too. However, it鈥檚 important to be grateful even in those moments as well. Think about it 鈥� having the capability to experience a range of emotions is a gift in itself. When we learn to be present with our emotions, we learn how to cope with them, work through them and grow from them. Instead of pretending to be 鈥榦kay,鈥� learn to be grateful for what days are to come. Acknowledge that there are both positive and negative emotions, and try to highlight the lessons you can learn from every moment.聽
This year has brought many changes and difficulties. Within the past 12 months, we鈥檝e experienced storms, disasters, elections, illnesses, death, births, parties and moments of solitude 鈥� all of which require our grateful hearts to reflect upon them.聽
As an 精东影业 Online student, you can work through these moments and practices with specialists like our Student Wellness Manager and our dedicated team of faculty and staff. While you鈥檙e at it, learn more about 精东影业 Online and the various programs we have available starting in 2025!