Gratitude is a Spiritual Experience

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” Colossians 3:16

It’s been a different kind of year. Okay, that’s an understatement. We have never been this way before as we head into our Thanksgiving and the Christmas season.

Our world as we have known it has ceased to be, and we are in a season of uncertainty as we navigate daily life during the strife, the sickness, and fear of the future.

Yet, the Word says, be grateful “in all things.” It isn’t easy, not in our humanness. Our restless hearts seek comfort, happiness, and well-being—the blessings. We want to know that everything is going to turn out okay (my way). Sometimes it doesn’t.

This past September, while visiting my mom in California, she suffered a stroke from which she never recovered. We prayed that she would be with us longer, but it didn’t happen. It was challenging to thank God at that moment.

But, when I asked God to bring peace into the situation for my sisters and me, I suddenly realized how grateful I was that I listened to the still, small voice that one month earlier said, “Don’t wait, go see your mom, now.”

I became grateful that I could be there with my sisters. Mostly, I thanked God that He was with us in all of it.

I have found that what the heart really yearns for is the higher life, the Jesus-centered way of living that focuses on Him as its source of fulfillment. No matter what is going on “out there.”

A grateful heart begins with a conscious decision to accept life as it is right now. Gratitude is a choice we make every day. When we choose it, God gives us the strength to accept the unacceptable. We pray with a thankful heart for the “peace that passes all understanding.” (Philippians 4:7)

Guided by Holy Spirit energy, our responses to life become powerfully effective. Fear and confusion leave us. We become energized and equipped, wrapped in Grace and Love.

Gently guided on the path to freedom from wanting our way, our world opens wide before us. We step into the days ahead filled with promise, hope, and security in Him.

Spiritual growth happens when we see that we have all we need and that God, our Source, loves us and will never forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6).

I pray that you will be in the joy and peace of Jesus during the Thanksgiving season. I pray, also, that you live in the supernatural gift of a grateful heart.