Episode 202: Giving God Thanks, The Journey of Practicing Gratitude

Transforming Mission Podcast with Tim Bias & Sara Thomas

Is an “attitude of gratitude” enough?

Before you answer, consider the source of your gratitude. If your gratitude is circumstantial or based only on feelings, what happens when the circumstances around you are hard? Do you simply stop being grateful?

We hope not.

As Christ-centered leaders, God is the source of our gratitude. As such, regardless of circumstances, God’s goodness is present. That’s why gratitude is essential. Once we decide we need to practice gratitude and want to practice gratitude out of response to God’s goodness, we’ve started the journey of gratitude.

One Journey of Gratitude

1. We agree we need to be grateful.
2. We discipline ourselves to be grateful.
3. We keep it up as a disciplined habit, whether we feel like it or not.
4. It becomes a joy—we are thankful for the privilege.
5. We’re nurtured by a relationship with God that responds to God’s goodness with gratitude.

As a leader, you have the opportunity to model for others something more than an attitude of gratitude. You have the opportunity to practice gratitude with the people you lead. The only question is, will you?

Write it Down/Talk it Out

1. Do you value the kindness of God's work? Said, as we talked about in this episode, “Is God good, and do you start with God’s goodness? What are you going to do about it?
2. Where are you on the gratitude journey and what's your next step in practicing gratitude?
3. What did you learn about yourself and being grateful from this episode?