Practicing Gratitude as a Remedy

“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts . . . And be thankful” (Col. 3:15 ESV).

Let’s just begin here by being honest: it’s not always easy to carry the peace of Christ in our hearts. How can we possibly harbor peace–the divine, eternal variety–in our hearts, when we’re living in a world that looks like ours does right now? How can we approach gratitude as a remedy for what makes our hearts ache? How can we enter into what is supposed to be the season of gratitude with open hearts?

The rest of chapter 3 of Colossians has some insights:

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

There are some pretty clear instructions here for living in Christ’s peace. Think about eternity rather than worrying about what’s happening here on earth. Be compassionate. Recognize the unity we have in Christ (the verse about Greek and Jew could just as easily read, “Black and White”). Love others. Forgive. Be humble.

And be thankful.

It’s been nearly a decade since Ann Voskamp’s One Thousand Gifts was first published. Like a pebble hitting the surface of a pond, it set off what seemed like an endlessly rippling response. People approached listing a handful of things every day for which they were grateful as a remedy for the hard things. The gratitude journal was born. Secular authors followed suit with their own guides to the practice of listing our thanksgiving. Studies began to show that practicing gratitude can have an effect not just on our emotional, mental, and spiritual health, but on our physical health as well.

There are hundreds of verses in the Bible about gratitude, about giving thanks to the Lord. Just as the fictional Pollyanna asserted that the hundreds of verses on joy must mean God wants us to be joyful, I assert that the hundreds of verses on gratitude must mean God wants us to be grateful.

In his first letter to the church in Thessaloniki, Paul wrote, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess. 5:18 ESV).

All circumstances. Job loss, grief, war, sickness, heartache, broken relationships. You get the picture. Now, I don’t think Paul is saying we need to be thankful for the things that are difficult–although it’s possible we might be thankful later on, of course. Hard things often bear good fruit in the long run. But I believe Paul is telling us we need to look around for the things we are thankful for right now in spite of whatever our hardships are.

Scripture makes it pretty clear, I believe, that no matter what our circumstances are, we can find hope, we can find freedom, we can escape despair by simply practicing gratitude for the good things he gives.

Harmony Harkema has loved the written word for as long as she can remember. A former English teacher turned editor, she has spent the past twelve years in the publishing industry. A writer herself in the fringe hours of her working-and-homeschooling mom life, Harmony has a heart for leading and coaching aspiring writers. She is the owner of The Glorious Table and cohost and producer at The Relatable Homeschoolers podcast. Harmony lives in Michigan with her husband and two daughters. You can find her at HarmonyHarkema.com and on Instagram @harmonyharkema.

Photograph © Andrea Piacquadio, used with permission