My friend Karen planned a Friendsgiving celebration for the residents at the healthcare home where her mother lives. We decorated the tables with tall lanterns filled with tiny lights and red, orange, and yellow silk leaves. Then we added stuffed pumpkins and sprinkled candy at each place. During the celebration, the elderly ladies and gentlemen taught me an important lesson.
After participants had listened to a devotion about friendship and played games, they gathered around the tables to share some of their blessings. Their lists included life, family, friends, good memories, sunny days, chocolate cake, and many more.
When I heard wheelchair-bound nursing home residents express thanks for their blessings, I considered my heart’s gratitude capacity. If they can thank God for their blessings while facing adversity, surely I can, too. Then I wondered how Scripture can help us develop an attitude of gratitude when we experience trials or hear distressing news.
Gratitude fills my heart when I enjoy family gatherings, breath-taking mountain views, and vanilla lattes. But I confess, words of thanksgiving often sputter and stall when I face trials.
Recent trials include a stubborn printer with the nerve to die the night before a speaking engagement, even more stubborn plumbing that required a costly repair days before guests arrived, aggravating back pain, and far worse, a friend’s cancer diagnosis.
The grateful hearts of my new wheelchair-bound friends set a Christlike example for me.
Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV*
At the conclusion of the activities, we enjoyed ice cream sundaes. The sweet ladies at my table loved the choice of chocolate or caramel syrup and the addition of nuts and cherries. Laughter bubbled from the conversations as we ate.
Then Karen gave each resident a handmade bookmark decorated with fall pictures and a ribbon. She also gave them blank thank you cards and suggested they give the cards to a family member or a facility employee they appreciated.
Miss Maureen, a white-haired saint, grabbed Karen’s hand, pulled her closer, and gave Karen her thank you card. Whispered words brought tears to Karen’s eyes. “Thank you for taking time to bring joy to us. This was such fun. Please come back again.” My misty-eyed friend promised we’d return.
As the sweet residents wheeled from the room, some of them held our hands and told us how much they’d enjoyed the celebration. I suspect our blessings outweighed theirs.
With their kind words echoing in my heart, I pondered the biblical instruction to express thanks in all things. I long to develop an attitude of gratitude—even in challenging times—like I’d observed during the Friendsgiving celebration.
The Bible doesn’t tell us to feel thankful. Instead, it instructs us to give thanks.
Perhaps we should read verses about expressing gratitude daily and ask God to increase our capacity to give thanks—like my new friends modeled for me.
The Bible doesn’t tell us to feel thankful. Instead, it instructs us to give thanks. Click To Tweet
5 Ways to Enhance the Gratitude Capacity of Your Heart and Give Thanks
1. With obedience to God
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:17
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the God of gods, for his steadfast love endures forever. Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever; to him who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever.
Psalm 136:1-4
Giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:20
2. With singing
I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.
Psalm 7:17
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing!
Psalm 100:1-2
3. With recognition of His love and peace
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!
Psalm 107:1
And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.
Colossians 3:15
4. With prayer
Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.
Colossians 4:2
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
5. With awareness of who God is and remembrance of His gifts
The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.
Psalm 28:7
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man! For he satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul he fills with good things.
Psalm 107:8-9
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
James 1:17
The echo of gratitude from my new friends’ words and the verses I found are filling my heart and my words with thanksgiving.
Your Turn
What’s one way to develop a heart of gratitude? How is giving thanks beneficial to our walk with Christ? I look forward to your comments.
*All verses are taken from the ESV.
Another story of gratitude
Click here Gratitude According to Aunt Tommie for a devotion from A Place at His Table: God’s Daily Gifts to Satisfy Your Heart. Marilyn Nutter shared it on her website. You’ll read how my Aunt Tommie shared 6-ounce bottles of Coca-Cola and wise advice about gratitude.
A Place at His Table includes 40 devotions with Table Tips–recipes, easy centerpiece ideas, and celebration suggestions. What a perfect hostess gift!
Available at Amazon & at other places where good books are sold. 
Beautiful reminders of how to express gratitude. My ritual is reviewing my day when I go to bed and thank God for five simple things about my day. They may seem ordinary but always meaningful.
I loved your daily review plan, Marilyn. Instead of ordinary, I think that’s an extraordinary idea. If we fall asleep with a grateful heart, we’ll probably wake up with the same. What a beautiful way to honor God, the Giver of all good gifts.
Jeannie, my eyes glistened as I read your post. The joy these residents received from you and your friend,Karen was so evident. Thank you for the many Bible verses that remind us to give thanks continuously. I’m thankful for your friendship.
I’m thankful for your friendship, Deanna, and I appreciate your comments. Our eyes glistened too when we heard sweet words of thanks for our simple activity. I think as believers we need to minister to the needs of the elderly more. They are precious and appreciate a change in their daily routine.
Jeannie, my eyes glistened as I read your post. The joy these residents received from you and your friend,Karen was so evident. Thank you for the many Bible verses that remind us to give thanks continuously. I’m thankful for your friendship.
Thank you, Jeannie, for this beautiful reminder to give thanks in all things with a grateful heart!
Norma, I need reminders, too. What joy we can bring to others when we’re thankful and attempt to meet their needs in the name of Jesus.
You and your friends did a wonderful thing, Jeannie. What that lady said at the center – “Thank you for taking the time to bring joy to us.” I’m grateful for people who take the time to love on others, and I’m grateful for friends who want to do that. And you do that well!
Looking for the good in each situation helps me to stay grateful. I am overwhelmed with the goodness of God and ever so grateful for His steadfast love.
Thank you, Katy. I was happy to help but had no idea how much Karen’s efforts would mean to those dear people. God has opened this ministry to Karen and her husband, and they’re increasing their “family” each time they visit. I’m grateful God allowed me to participate and receive blessings by their smiles.
Thank you for sharing such a wonderful, scriptural way to stay grateful. Perfect!
Such a wonderful thing to do. Blessings others is always a good way to be thankful. Thanks Jeannie.
I agree, Yvonne. I’ve been so busy with my recent book launch, I haven’t had many opportunities to meet needs as we were blessed to do that day. I fell in love with the ladies I helped and their sweet smiles linger in my memory. I want to go back again.
Thank you for sharing this upifting message, Jeannie. Our church choir used to sing regularly at several long-term care facilities. We were always blessed by the experience–likely moreso than the residents received. There’s such a need for ministry in that area and those who are able to attend this experiences are so appreciative. Most in our choir are no longer able to do this and, sadly, we’ve stopped. Thank you to you and Karen for this outreach and to you for sharing about it.
It truly is more blessed to give than to receive, but, as you said, we receive blessings when we minister to others. I agree there’s a huge need for believers to share the love of Christ with elderly healthcare residents.
Gratitude is important all the time, not simply when life goes our way. We aren’t to be thankful for tragedy but we are to look to the Lord who is our deliverer. What a sweet thing you and your friend did for these people. I know it made a difference for them
Thank you, Barbara. The visit and their sweet smiles and expressions of gratitude certainly made a difference to us. What joy to serve people with the love of Jesus.
While taking an early morning walk around my retirement community, I stopped briefly to talk with a neighbor who was walking her dog going in the opposite direction–the dog’s choice. As I started to walk on, she said, “Thank you for talking to me.” I was humbled.
What a sweet example of a simple gesture to show you noticed and cared for her. She might not have talked with anyone else that day. Thank you for reminding us, Peggy, that the little acts of kindness we extend may translate to huge blessings in someone’s life.
Giving thanks. Sometimes it’s done in how we give to others, isn’t it my friend? I think I’ve cried more tears of joy after I’ve done something for someone else and God comes near to my heart than I have at any other time. As my ranch hand Mr. John said not long after coming to live here, “It sure feels good to do good, don’t it sir?” My thanks to you, Ms. Karen, and your friends.
J.D., I love Mr. John’s statement. Yes, indeed. “It sure feels good to do good.” I’m always amazed by how God allows us to participate in kingdom work and share His love with others. What an honor.
I like to keep a gratitude list every day. At the end of the day I think of 5 things I am grateful for that day. Recently, my sons visited one from Oklahoma and another from South Carolina at the same time. First time our immediate family had Thanksgiving together in years. What a blessing!
Nancy, thank you for sharing your blessings and your wonderful idea to add to a gratitude list daily. I’m glad you could celebrate with your family. Thank you so much for leaving comments.
Loved “The Bible doesn’t tell us to feel thankful. Instead, it instructs us to give thanks.”
Honestly, it’s often easier to give thanks (which is entirely in my control) than to feel thankful. Thank you, Lord, for reminding me of this through Jeannie’s article.
I agree. We can decide to obey God without feeling like it. I think obedience sometimes helps our emotions catch up. Thanks so much for commenting, Barbara.
I love this, Jeannie. You’ve drawn a great distinction between feelings and actions. God knows the action will often produce the feeling. He always knows what’s best. Happy Thanksgiving!
I really appreciate you stopping by and leaving a comment, Annie.