Catching an appetite for spiritual practice
It’s not helpful to tell people, especially kids, “be grateful.” That being said, gratitude has deep spiritual roots and can be a quick way to improve the moment.
Christianity has a “Great Thanksgiving” established by Jesus called the Eucharist, when Jesus gave thanks to God while sharing holy communion. Jesus knew how to focus on what was good in the moment, like sharing a meal with friends, even on the last night of his life. The Apostle Paul talked about combining prayers of supplication “with thanksgiving” (Philippians 4:6) and “giving thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Really?
Rev. Amelia Dress points out that Paul doesn’t say be grateful FOR all circumstances, but IN them. We don't have to find a way to feel happy about bad things, but it does help to remember that OTHER good things still exist, even during bad times. She writes, “A moment of grace that we might experience within hardship is the simple, quiet awareness that God is with us all the time… Gratitude can center and comfort us, even if it doesn’t change the circumstances.”
Here is a simple way to practice gratitude:
Breath prayer for gratitude
As you breathe in say: God you are with me.
As you breathe out say: I feel Your goodness.
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