When I was a little girl, many years we went to my Aunt and Uncle’s house for Thanksgiving. Like many families, at some point during our meal, each of us would have to (yes, as a kid it felt like a “have to”) tell something that we were thankful for. Never once when either my grandma’s or aunt’s turns came, would they tell those things they were thankful for without tears.

Though now, decades later, I get it, I must say that as a child their tears both amused and bewildered me! Maybe that’s because every year, as I sat at the Thanksgiving table rummaging around my heart in search of gratitude, I could rarely, on the spot, come up with anything more than being thankful for God and my parents. (Maybe my sisters too, but back then, who knows! 😉) Any request for me to go beyond those things, meant I required coaching!

Genuine gratitude, with or without tears, should be something we sense or experience in our hearts, don’t you agree? As an adult, I find it easy to name things I’m grateful for. (And these days, occasionally I can even get choked up when trying to express those things!) My list could even get quite lengthy, if I really take time to think about it. But even so, I’m still challenged when I read Colossians 2:6-7:

So then, just as you have received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to walk in him, being rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and overflowing with gratitude. 

Overflowing with gratitude! Paul didn’t just say “be thankful.” He said we should have so much thankfulness welling up inside of us that we can’t contain it, causing it to rise until it spills over the banks of our hearts. That’s a whole lotta gratitude! “Overflowing” describes a dynamic state of being! And just like a river that never runs dry, my heart should ever be in gratitude-overflow mode. I can’t honestly say that is how I would describe myself, but I would like to get there.

I think one key may be that I need to understand that my heart will only ever overflow with what’s in it. (Profound, I know!) Just as a torrential rain can suddenly cause a river to flow, sweeping up and carrying trash and debris that lay on a road, my heart can potentially overflow with things not near so lovely as gratitude. Proverbs 4:23 says “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” And Jesus said, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” – Matthew 12:34b 

Obviously, things that flow have an original source. A snow covered mountain slowly melts, providing the water source of a river that flows. James tells us that our Source is the Lord. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” – James 1:17 I think maybe another key is to intentionally be mindful that EVERY good thing in our lives, including our next breath, is God’s gift to us. Sometimes those blessings come straight from our Father’s hand to ours. Other times He uses people to deliver His blessings. 

You and I know all of this. I’ve known these truths since I was a child. For me, the challenge is to keep these things in the forefront of my heart and mind. I believe the answer lies in staying aware of God’s presence. Jesus said, “I will never leave you”, so that means He truly is right here, right now, even as I write! Brother Lawrence, a 17th-century Carmelite monk, did what he called, “practicing God’s presence.” He communed with God throughout the day, not only during set-aside devotional prayers and scripture readings, but even while doing mundane tasks. I’ll bet his heart always overflowed with gratitude!

Heavenly Father, thank You for the many blessings in my life that I can so easily take for granted, which is the exact opposite of having a heart of gratitude for them. Holy Spirit, show me those things in my heart that You see as sinful debris sin. They aren’t benefitting my heart, and I would never want my words to convey their ugly message to the people in my life that You have blessed me with. Help me to practice Your presence always, so that I’m more immediately aware of my sinful thoughts, intentions, and attitudes and quickly repent, so that any overflow of my heart is a reflection of deep gratitude. And as I become more and more mindful of Your presence, make me increasingly aware of each and every good thing in my life and that all are blessings from Your heart to mine. I invite You to continue Your work in my heart, until I’m endlessly overflowing with gratitude!