Developing an Attitude of Gratitude

Gratitude doesn’t come naturally. In fact, ungratefulness has been around since the creation of man. Well, almost. Ungrateful for not having to cook and the ability to eat of every tree, except one, wasn’t good enough for Eve. One negative thought from a talking snake and she couldn’t shake it.

Research from MIT shows negative thoughts create poor decision-making, and leads to anxiety and depression all the more reason to develop an attitude of gratitude. No, it doesn’t happen overnight. Negative thoughts will always enter our mind, for the adversary, the devil will continue to put them there.

The good news is we can rise above them by having an attitude of gratitude. It is possible to retrain our brains! God not only can but will, help, if you ask.

Here are three steps listing activities/games I thought of to aid us in developing an attitude of gratitude. These ideas work for adults and children alike, or families together. They work if you’re a positive person who needs refining. They work if you are anxious or in mild depression. These activities work all year round; not just in November.

Feel free to browse and choose what works for you. There is no pass/fail so you can glean one thing or many and start to develop your attitude of gratitude.

Step 1: Recognize positive and grateful statements.

• Find and cut out pictures (or point) showing thankfulness (i.e. – a hug or pat, exchanging gifts, a thank-you card). Store in an envelope, or display on poster board, as desired. The purpose is for identification or recognition.
• Use two different colors of highlighters and hunt through a magazine or an old Bible storybook from a thrift store. Search for grateful words (i.e. – like, enjoy, thanks, appreciated, compliments). Highlight them in a bright or favorite color. Do the same for negative words  (i.e. – don’t like, hate, ugly, terrible, stink, no good, mean), only in a dark color.
• Catch someone being grateful. Use beads, stickers, marbles, etc. to keep track. Before meals or bedtime, share what you caught and see who can get the most. Better yet, when the family gets to ten, they can watch a favorite movie together, or some other activity. Make a game or competition to increase awareness.

Step 2: Record gratitude statements.

• Gratitude journals are popular. It isn’t necessary to buy one unless you’re inclined to. A spiral notebook works equally well. The important thing here is to record grateful thoughts about the same time each day when starting. You may choose to write journal entry style with dates, or just “add-on” in a bullet list. No minimum amount is required. More rules and applications exist for therapeutic use, but this is absolutely a great start.
• A blessing jar is similar in nature in regards to content. My family did one a few years back. When you receive a blessing, it’s written down on a piece of paper and dropped into a specially made jar for encouragement later.
• A Blessing Board could be created to post colorful words and pictures we’ve discovered in step one as thought of. This is great for visual learners since you’re reminded more often. Decorate and add as thoughts come. This activity isn’t meant to record daily or set time intervals. This could be used for a warm-up to journaling or used to highlight certain journal entries, or for an already positive person to remain victorious.
• Create prompts that can be written on index cards to be drawn and completed, then displayed on a refrigerator or mirror. Kids enjoy it when they’re written on popsicle sticks placed in a jar, where they can choose one in a game-like fashion. Can be fill-in-the-blank or a question (i.e. – Did you enjoy the weather today? Someone smiled at me because… My favorite food is…).
• Turn your frown around. Use negative statements and words found in step one and turn them around into positive ones, or challenge your friend with a negative statement and see if they can be stumped or if they’re able to turn it into a positive statement. (i.e. – Negative: Being blind, I hate when my kids put sharp knives in the sink without my knowing it since I’ve told them a million times I could hurt myself washing dishes. Positive: I’m so glad I didn’t cut myself while doing dishes. I’m glad they didn’t leave a knife on the counter for someone to get hurt. Negative: I can’t believe our car broke down. Positive: I’m thankful for the person who picked us up, or the money for the towtruck.)

Step 3: Review systematically

In the first couple of weeks, it is good to read your words, lists, or entries three times per week. Reading twice a week the next two weeks would be wonderful, and once a week for six months before slowing down to once a month.

It is more special if members of the family do so together by choosing one to read. Hearing others also gives more practice. Do this with a blessing board or jar if need be.

Before long, journals will be read, more prompts will be chosen, or one will catch themselves standing in front of the Blessing Board when getting down, disappointed, or angry. Won’t be much longer before noticing when negative thoughts strike away from home, your mind will recall grateful thoughts and blessings. When this happens, you’ll know you’ve developed an attitude of gratitude!

When Under Attack

Developing an attitude of gratitude is a wonderful, practical skill to aid us in navigating through life’s problems. Like Eve, we will always have a choice as to how we will react to fears, doubts, insecurities, or any other negative thought satan puts in our mind.

If stronger than normal, give yourself grace. Know where these thoughts come from. Know everyone hears them. And know an attitude of gratitude is only part of the armor to fight with. God’s Word, the Bible, is a double-edged sword, so read and memorize it. Surround yourself with uplifting Christian music, and pray.

A negative thought lasts much longer than positive ones so sometimes we need more armor. To counteract this in my family, I often made a child who cut down a sibling, to think of three good things to speak aloud. This not only trained the offender, decreasing his likelihood of repeating the offense, but I never wanted the negative thought to become a false belief.

If your thoughts aren’t moving you closer to Christ, it’s not true and we shouldn’t be thinking about it. Set it free and replace it with a positive one before more negative statements reenter.

Did you know those who think positive sleep better and are healthier overall? Please show your gratitude by sharing your favorite activity with us in the comments below.

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© 2019, Jena Fellers. All rights reserved.