Learning To Live In Gratitude

I've been doing my best to practice gratitude in my daily life as a way of working toward peace and surrender.  It's not as easy as it sounds.  Come to think of it, nothing that is worthwhile is ever as easy as it sounds, no matter how much I wish it to be different. 

However, I will say that the more I'm intentional about practicing gratitude (even when I'm having a hard time feeling it), the easier it becomes to let it be my default way of seeing the world. 

Like most things, practicing gratitude is an exercise in letting go of whatever might be keeping us from being our best selves.  

In our busy and oft-challenging lives, it’s easy to become caught up in the pursuit of control, striving to shape our days, outcomes, and futures into the molds we envision. 

Yet, true peace and deeper understanding come when we embrace gratitude, recognizing that every moment is a gift from God. Living gratefully helps us surrender our need to dictate every outcome and instead trust fully and lovingly in God's purposes for our lives.

In her poem "Why I Wake Early," Mary Oliver reflects on beginning her day with gratitude after waking up in the morning and seeing the sun :

Hello, sun in my face.
Hello, you who made the morning
and spread it over the fields
and into the faces of the tulips
and the nodding morning glories,
and into the windows of, even, the
miserable and the crotchety –

best preacher that ever was,
dear star, that just happens
to be where you are in the universe
to keep us from ever-darkness,
to ease us with warm touching,
to hold us in the great hands of light –
good morning, good morning, good morning.

Watch, now, how I start the day
in happiness, in kindness.”

Oliver’s poem captures a profound truth: gratitude awakens us to the miraculousness of life. She suggests that happiness is rooted in recognizing what we already have—the beauty, the wonder, the very gift of existence. 

Her words remind us that gratitude isn’t just a fleeting emotion but a way of seeing the world that opens our hearts to wonder and trust.

Scripture echoes this truth. In Philippians 4:6-7, the Apostle Paul encourages us:  

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” 

Here, Paul links gratitude directly with peace—an assurance that trusting in God's sovereignty transforms anxiety into calm confidence. When we give thanks, we acknowledge God's goodness, relinquish our need for control, and invite God's peace to fill our hearts.

Living in gratitude is a spiritual discipline that reshapes our perspective. It teaches us to accept that we are part of something greater than ourselves—God’s divine plan. Rather than clinging desperately to the illusion of control, we learn to surrender, trusting that God's purposes are perfect, even when they unfold differently than we expect.

I encourage you today to cultivate gratitude in your daily life. Practice pausing to thank God for the blessings, visible and unseen. Recognize the miraculous that surrounds you—the breath in your lungs, the love of family, the beauty of creation—and let it deepen your trust in God. 

As you do, you will find that your need to control the events of your day diminishes. Instead, your heart opens to the loving sovereignty of God, who holds all things in God's hands.

Let gratitude become your anchor in every circumstance. Embrace the wonder of life and surrender your desires for control, knowing that God's love and purpose are greater than anything you could plan. 

In trusting God fully, you’ll discover that the greatest peace and joy come not from having everything your way, but from living in the joyful assurance that God's loving plans are always meant for our ultimate good.

May it be so for all of us, and may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with us now and always. Amen.