What if We Loved Like We Were Thankful?

Gratitude: A Posture, A Prayer, A Practice

No one owes us anything - not kindness not love, not time. Every act of generosity, kindness, care, is a choice and sadly, in the comfort of familiarity, we often grow entitled.

If you know me well, you’ll know how I sometimes embarrass people with my endless “thank you”s. I was raised that way so it comes to me so naturally—almost reflexively. Even at that, I can’t help but think of all the acts of kindness in my life I have taken, and still take for granted. We are given so much—breath in our lungs, grace that renews with the morning, people who choose us over and over again. But how often do we pause to acknowledge it? How often do we stop to say, thank you—to God, to the ones who pour into us, to the strangers whose small acts of kindness brighten our days?

Life moves fast, days blur into each other, and in the rush of it all, we forget to notice all the beauty that hold us. We assume love is understood, kindness is expected, and provision is automatic. But nothing is guaranteed. Every good thing—every breath, every embrace, every moment of laughter—is a gift.

At work, my supervisor is one of the most appreciative people I have ever met. I’ll say “thank you”, and she’ll immediately respond, “No, thank YOU!” and then we’ll go back and forth, trying to outdo each other in gratitude. It’s a small thing, but it has made me realize how much warmth and joy exists in a space where gratitude is freely given.

You see, God has been incredibly good to me. If I spent the rest of my life doing nothing but thanking Him, it still wouldn’t be enough. At the heart of gratitude is God. Every good thing, every moment of grace, every open door, every breath—we did not earn them, yet He gives them freely. I often sit in awe of this, of how much I have received from a Father who owes me nothing, yet delights in giving. My goodness, He has given me so much! And what does He ask in return? A heart that remembers. A heart that thanks.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and bless His name. (Psalm 100:4)

How often do we assume that those who love us already know? That our parents, our friends, our partners, our siblings—surely they must know how much they mean to us? I think about my parents—about the countless sacrifices they have made, the love, the prayers on my behalf. I think about my friends, those who remember the small details, who carry parts of my burdens without being asked. I think about the kindness of strangers, the moments of unexpected grace. None of it is owed to me. None of it is small.

So why do we let gratitude remain a passing thought instead of a spoken offering? Why do we not send that message, make that call, write that note? Why do we wait until it is too late to say, I see you. I appreciate you. You matter to me.

Gratitude is not meant to be something we feel only when life is good. It is a discipline, a practice we cultivate in every season. It is waking up and choosing to see God’s hand, even in the ordinary. It is thanking the people around us, even for things they have done a thousand times before. It is refusing to let love be something we assume instead of something we express.

So please, look around. Think of the people who have blessed your life, the ones who have walked with you, the ones who have loved you even in your hardest times. Think of the God who has sustained you, who has given when you had nothing to give back. And let gratitude fill your heart.

Tell them. Thank them. Worship Him.

And beyond the ones closest to you—remember the ones often overlooked. Yes, you pay them, but say thank you to that waiter, that doorman, the one who bagged your groceries. Let them know you see them.

Love,

Precious. 🩵

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change” - James 1:17