“Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” -Colossians 4:2
When we first started the “Year of Gratitude”, Pastor Connie told us of different ways to practice gratitude. One of the ways was to make a Gratitude Jar. She had taken a mason jar and attached a label that said Gratitude. She explained that the idea was to write something you were grateful for at least once a week and place it in the jar. After she showed everyone the jar, she gave it to me. I keep it on my desk and each week I write something that I am grateful for on a small piece of paper and place it in the jar.
It has been fun watching the jar fill each week. It helps me to remember that I have a lot to be thankful for in this life. It also helps me to focus on the things I am thankful for and not on the negative things of life. Even though I only write something for the jar once a week, I have found myself pausing each day and thinking more about the blessings in my life. It has made me more aware of the many blessings I have received and has made it much easier to write my daily thank you card.
It is also fun to open the jar and take out all the notes of gratitude and read them from time to time. When I am having a rough time, I like to read through each note and remember why I wrote each one. I think about the memory attached to each note and why I was grateful at that time. It helps to remind me how truly blessed I really am, and that God will always be there when I need Him most.
How are you practicing gratitude this year? Are you writing thank you notes each day? We all need to remember to let those in our lives that bless us how much we appreciate them and how thankful we are for them. We also need to remind ourselves how blessed we are and show our appreciation to God.
Lee Ann Simpson, Administrative Assistant, Asbury Campus
