It was a normal morning as I was walking with my son to drop him off at school when we passed a woman wearing a t-shirt that said “Grateful” on it. It was written in cursive, ending with a heart. “Huh,” I thought, “That’s odd.” I wouldn’t even notice such a shirt if I lived in America. But, living in the Czech Republic, the shirt caused me to take a second glance. I tucked it in the back of my head, reminiscing about how nice that was and a little nostalgic about my American roots. Not a week went by, and I was looking for parking near my apartment (not always an easy task). Upon pulling into the perfect spot, I looked up to see a woman coming out of the storefront across from my parking spot. “Grateful,” the shirt said, with the same font and the same heart, though this time in a different color. “Woah, maybe God is trying to get my attention. Lord, are you using this to speak to me?” I prayed. And I felt the deeply comforting voice of the Spirit whisper to my soul to be thankful and to take note of things I was grateful for.

Gratitude lists have come in and out of my life like the tide that ebbs and flows, starting with an assignment in my Christian college and then a few years later while reading a book about being thankful. After a while, though, the motivation to record my gratitudes wore off, and I am not so reflective about the many blessings God has given me. During missionary training, 6 months before moving to Czech, the trainers stressed that acknowledging just five things we’re thankful for each day can sustain cross-cultural missionaries--even during the hardest of seasons. My husband and I noted this and committed to regularly acknowledging our gratitudes. But, as usual, the practice wore off, and a couple of years later, I found myself noticing women in T-shirts, reminding me to thank the Lord for every good and perfect gift he has given (James 1:17).

I was just coming out of a season of deep discouragement, but then, I began to look around for things I was grateful for. “Thank you, Lord, for the beautiful colors in the changing leaves,” my heart whispered. “Thank you for the fresh bread I can find at the store and for the nice neighbor I just met. Thank you for the ways I get to see this student grow. Thank you for the smile on my daughter’s face and for the kindness of my husband.” And as time went on, I began to notice my gratitude expanding to things that are not so easy to be thankful for. “Thank you, Lord, for this mess my children made,” I found my heart saying while being reminded to sanitize an infrequently cleaned area of my apartment. Then, “Thanks for the time of suffering I went through a while back,” as I noticed myself using the skills I learned to help a student in his suffering. The things I found myself thanking God for began to surprise me. Then, I remembered Romans 5:3-4 where it states, “we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”

The more I thanked God, the more I felt my spirit lift. Now, when I notice myself becoming grumpy or complaining a lot, I use it as a reminder to thank God. And now, when my children are grumpy and stuck in an attitude of discontent, I ask them to name some things they are thankful for. With some prodding, they agree, and smiles eventually return to their faces. Thankfulness truly lifts our eyes and refocuses our hearts on the things that are of Christ. This is shaping us and also our gospel witness, as Philippians 2:14-16 says that a lack of complaining and arguing sets us apart from the generation in which we live and allows us to hold out the Word of life!

So, whether you already record lists of gratitudes or, like I was, you’re stuck in a season of discouragement, I invite you to take a moment to look around you and ask yourself, “What can I be thankful for?” Then, whether something big or small, thank God for those things today!