In my Gardening 101 post, I referred to a book I received as a gift. When I left my job, one of the employees gave me devotional called Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. It is a 365 day devotional and something I have committed to doing daily in hopes of hearing a word or being moved by the Holy Spirit to do something I need to do for each day. Today’s devotion was about gratitude.

Shabnam Mogharabi help founded the media company SoulPancake. Their videos are designed to invoke positivity of the human experience. Shabnam was a keynote speaker at the American Organization for Nursing Leadership 2022 annual conference. She spoke to us about focusing on joy and shared The Joy Toolkit: #1 Express Gratitude.

It is easy to think we might be good at expressing gratitude, but are we really? How many times a day do we take for granted that someone has to do a particular something or behave a certain way? After I heard this message, I became very intentional about expressing gratitude. This led to a genuine feeling of gratefulness. I even started telling my staff (especially on hard days), “Thank you for being here and giving great care to our patients today!” The truth is, they didn’t have to show up. And if they didn’t show up, or did a crappy job, that would be additional stress on my plate. I truly was grateful!

I have worked to cultivate an attitude of gratefulness for things seen and unseen. Expressing gratitude has moved me towards this unconditional state of gratefulness. It brings to light God’s never-ending mercies and grace towards me. It has diminished the selfish expectations I had hiding in my heart. Being intentional about gratitude allows me to see God in every circumstance; His character and His love. In this process, I have found my growth in obedience with assent for the law of love. When it comes to our relationships with others, we can underestimate the power of expressing gratitude. Who do you need to show gratitude to today? Be sure to articulate the why, so they are in the know and can potentially repeat the action/behavior for someone else.

“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus” – 1 Thessalonians 5:18