TAKE THE 21- DAY CHALLENGE TO IMPROVE YOUR ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

Do you need to improve your attitude of gratitude? One simple way to change your perspective and thinking is to intentionally focus on being grateful. Gratitude is not only an attitude but a way of life, so join me in taking this 21-day Gratitude Challenge that invites you to give thanks through reflecting on God’s Words and taking purposeful action.

WHAT IS THE GRATITUDE CHALLENGE?

You might have noticed people posting simple messages of thankfulness on social media using photos or words. I am not exactly sure how or when this began, but a few years ago I started reading about people using the thirty days of November to practice gratitude by sharing the things, using images or words, for which they are grateful.

I love to read these (so much better than many of the posts I scroll through daily!) and believe we can all benefit from taking the time to focus on the gifts God gives us.

• It is intentional.
• It is purposeful.
• It is mindful.

And it gets me thinking about gratitude. Really thinking. Pondering. Praying. Reflecting.

And although November is a great month to practice gratitude, I wanted to create a gratitude challenge that can be used whenever we need to change our perspective. Because let’s be honest, there are many times throughout the year we need to ask ourselves if we need to improve our attitude of gratitude!

And 21 days seems like a significant (but not too long!) amount of time to challenge ourselves to practice daily gratitude.

WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT GRATITUDE

Because I am all about connecting faith + life in practical, purposeful, and powerful ways, I like to go to the Bible first and read what it says about gratitude.

Thankfulness comes up over 70 times in the New Testament alone!

Paul’s command to all believers is simple yet profound:

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.“

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV)

• REJOICE ALWAYS.
• PRAY WITHOUT CEASING.
• GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES.

It is interesting to note that joy and prayer are connected with gratitude. We will learn more about those connections as we take the 21-day Gratitude Challenge.

Many stories in the Bible illustrate gratitude. One of my favorites is the story of the ten lepers found in Luke 17:11-19.  Here is the passage from the Message version of the Bible.

It happened that as he made his way toward Jerusalem, he crossed over the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten men, all lepers, met him. They kept their distance but raised their voices, calling out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
Taking a good look at them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.”
They went, and while still on their way, became clean. One of them, when he realized that he was healed, turned around and came back, shouting his gratitude, glorifying God. He kneeled at Jesus’ feet, so grateful. He couldn’t thank him enough—and he was a Samaritan.
 Jesus said, “Were not ten healed? Where are the nine? Can none be found to come back and give glory to God except this outsider?” Then he said to him, “Get up. On your way. Your faith has healed and saved you.”

Luke 17:11-19 (The Message)

Reflecting on both Paul’s command and the biblical story Bible makes me look at my attitude toward gratitude.

It’s not that I have a bad or negative attitude toward being grateful (I don’t think that is the case for most of us). I truly believe thankfulness is a character trait worth developing.

I want to be someone who expresses genuine gratitude, teaches her children to be thankful (not just polite), and remembers the source of all my gifts and blessings.

However, my attitude often reflects the nine lepers instead of the one.

Sad to admit, but true. That is why I also need to take the 21-day Gratitude Challenge!

WHY IT IS A CHALLENGE TO BE GRATEFUL

Were the lepers not grateful? I believe that they were. However, they missed so much by not taking the time to be intentional in expressing their thanks.

• They were excited.
• They were distracted.
• They were forgetful.

Just like me. And maybe you too. God graciously gives gifts daily, and we rarely stop and give thanks.

• We are too busy.
• We are too lazy.
• We are too apathetic.

Reading Ann Voskamp’s book, One Thousand Gifts, several years ago helped me take a deep dive into gratitude and how to pursue it by acknowledging the simple blessings of every day. This book began a journey for me that continues as seek to adopt a posture of thankfulness even during struggle, pain, doubt, and disappointment.

WHY WE NEED TO TAKE THE GRATITUDE CHALLENGE

There are things we need to know about genuine gratitude that can change us. And that is why I believe taking the Gratitude Challenge is more than just learning how to give thanks. It is adopting a way of life that leads to hope, healing, and joy.

Here is what I am in the process of learning about this kind of gratitude:

GRATITUDE MAKES US WHOLE

If you look back to the story of the ten lepers, notice what Jesus says to the one who returns to give thanks. Remember, Jesus has already healed the man of leprosy. Jesus tells him that his faith has not only healed him but saved him. I have read and taught from this passage several times and noticed this for the first time. This wholeness is what the other nine missed! Yes, they were all healed, but Jesus saved only one. Here is how Ann Voskamp explains it:

We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if not with thanksgiving? Thanksgiving is the evidence of our acceptance of whatever He gives. Thanksgiving is the manifestation of our Yes! to His Grace.”

One Thousand Gifts, Ann Voskamp (p. 39)

Part of the 21-day Gratitude Challenge includes learning how to thank God first for the gifts of faith, grace, and mercy.

GRATITUDE CHANGES OUR PERSPECTIVE

That is why it is so effective to share what we are thankful for, express our gratitude intentionally, or journal our gifts daily. It is one thing to talk, read, or think about being thankful – quite another to DO something about it.  

As I mentioned earlier, I believe that all ten lepers were grateful that Jesus healed them of their leprosy, but only one did something about it.

 Only when we get intentional, purposeful, and mindful about expressing our thankfulness will our perspectives change.  Only when we focus on God’s gifts do we worry and concentrate less on what we do not have. Changing our perspective requires action.

The 21-Day Gratitude Challenge gives you practical things to do to develop daily habits of thanksgiving.

GRATITUDE UNLOCKS TRUE JOY

Ann Voskamp reminds us that habits can either imprison us or free us. So the key is being mindful of our habits, right?  It is in the practice of thanking instead of complaining, of looking for gifts instead of ignoring those right before our eyes, that leads us to true joy.

She goes on to say:

“When thanks to God becomes a habit —  so joy in God becomes your life.“

Repeated, consistent practice over time helps develop healthy habits. Doing something for 21 days is a solid start to fostering an attitude of gratitude that becomes a natural part of our lives.

BENEFITS OF TAKING THE GRATITUDE CHALLENGE

Voskamp also does her research and offers some pretty compelling evidence about people who develop an attitude of gratitude.

1. They have a relative absence of stress and depression (Woods et al., 2008).

2. They make progress towards important personal goals (Emmons and McCullough, 2003).

3. They report higher levels of determination and energy (Emmons and McCullough, 2003).

4. They feel closer in their relationships and desire to build stronger relationships (Algoe and Haidt, 2009).

5. They increase their happiness by 25% — (Who wouldn’t want a quarter more happiness!) (McCullough et al., 2002)

Ann Voskamp JOY DARE

FREE 21-DAY GRATITUDE CHALLENGE PRINTABLE

So how’s your attitude of gratitude as we begin the season of giving thanks? I realize that being thankful is much more than reading a Bible verse, saying a few words, or making a list. It is a lifelong process of cultivating daily habits, seeing the small gifts, and expressing this in real and tangible ways.

DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE PRINTABLE

I have created a 21-DAY Gratitude Challenge guide to help you get started. For three weeks, you will follow this pattern:

READ: Read the passage of scripture listed and meditate on it. If you are anything like me a need tangible reminders, write out the verse in a journal, on a notecard, or as a reminder on your phone. Any place where you see it and read it throughout the day. Be intentional with this first step!

REFLECT: Spend a few minutes answering the reflection question that has to do with the verse you read the day before. I like to write out my thoughts in a journal, but you don’t have to – you can just sit quietly and think if that works better for you.

RESPOND: After you have read what the Bible says and reflected on it, now it is time to practically apply what you have learned about gratitude. These activities are designed to be simple and doable in one day, but you can always go further!

I hope this helps this simple 21-Day Gratitude Challenge begins to develop a daily habit of gratitude.

I hope the resources in this post help you embrace an attitude of gratitude during this or any season of your life! I encourage you to take The Gratitude Challenge with me and see what happens! I would love for you to share your stories in the comments below or give us other ideas about what you do to improve your attitude of gratitude.

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If this post spoke to you in any way, would you mind leaving a comment, sharing it on social media, or even letting a friend know? Please help me spread the attitude of gratitude this season and throughout the year!