Thankfulness vs Gratitude

Thankfulness versus gratitude, have you ever considered the difference? They are deeply connected yet different.

The Bible tells us it is God’s will to give thanks in everything.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NAS)

in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

Thankfulness is a quality of being thankful, which shows appreciation or returns a kindness.

Thankful: You can be thankful that the long line was quicker than expected and you were not late. You can be thankful that someone opened the door or said a kind word.

Gratitude reflects our character. It takes time, effort, and intentionality. It is a deeper, more lasting appreciation that we can choose to practice over time.

Gratitude is an emotion of the heart and can be a response to ongoing love and support from a friend or a family member.

I have found that both being thankful and having gratitude is the overflow of my relationship with Almighty God. It is through Him that I can “see” more clearly and respond with a thankful heart.

Ephesians 5:20 (NAS)

Always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to our God and Father.

I know firsthand that it is hard to be thankful in all things. When I was first married, we lived in a small home with very little storage. As our family grew I had to store off-season baby clothes behind dressers. It was obvious we were outgrowing that space and we were praying for a bigger home. But I was shocked when God revealed my negative heart. Somehow in the inability to store the kids things, my heart became discontented, and I stopped being thankful for my home. I actually was frustrated. That's when God revealed my own heart to me.

God spoke to my heart, “I am not going to give you a bigger home until you are thankful for the one I have given to you.”

In all honesty I did not realize my heart had become so discontented because of my frustration. That is when I decided to be thankful for everything that I had. I began looking for ways to be thankful and happy right where I was. I started to be more creative with the small spaces.

What I didn't expect was that my thankfulness in the midst of the limitations grew into gratitude. And as I learned to appreciate all things, gratitude within me grew into a river.

I've been accused of having rose colored glasses on at times, but then I realized that the glasses I wear are a perspective of gratitude.

Through one lens I can see reality and all that has happened, and have empathy and sorrow, but by the grace of God the other lens finds gratitude, hope, and encouragement in the midst of the difficulty or ashes. Now I am able to see with gratitude the past that points to a faithful God and what He has done.

Being grateful does not negate the negative, nor does it minimize the mess. Gratitude toward God can keep us on even ground amidst our current difficult situations.

God did bring us a bigger house and I have been making it our home for 30 plus years. It is not and never will be perfect, we bought it with holes in the walls and in need of so much, but I can honestly say that I was grateful.  

Gratitude became an overflowing theme of my heart.

It helps us in the midst of everyday life to be thankful for those God has put into our sphere as family, friends, and so many others. Life will get hard and being thankful creates the river of gratitude that will overflow our own lives and flow into the lives of others.

So, what can we do?

We can start a daily list of things that we love in our lives. This can be very simple, such as sunlight on your face. Coffee in the morning. Being serenaded by birds singing as you close your eyes. A place to live and call your home. People that you care about and those that care about you.

Gratitude is an appreciation of God and the life He has entrusted to us.

May we be a people who look for ways to be thankful and live in the overflow of gratitude for our everyday lives.

I'm so grateful for you, my friend,

Dawn

Colossians 2:6-7 (NAS)

Therefore, as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.