Gratitude

By Pastor Paul Gauche

Today’s Word: ‘Gratitude’ as in… the fourth of the seven thriving rhythms, also known as Thriv’ëra.

Thriv’ëra explores the call to move with thoughtful purpose toward a rhythmic sense of identity and purpose – that we are spirited, creative, and connected people called to be present, grateful, generous, and missional with our whole lives. As image-bearers of the Creator, we are actively reimagining what it means to be the hands and feet of Christ in our homes, neighborhoods, communities, and beyond. We understand that the Spirit, breathing in and through us, empowers us to live into this unique series of life rhythms that help us bring some good to each moment, something better to each day, and our best to each other as we encounter the world around us.

So far, we’ve looked at the first four thriving rhythms, Spirited, Creative, Connected, and Present. The fifth rhythm, ‘Grateful,’ begins with this Guiding Narrative: “As children of God, we are ‘grateful’ human beings. We thrive as grateful people who practice gratitude as a spirited discipline, remembering with joy and thanksgiving that all we have is a gift of grace.

Moving forward, we’ll explore gratitude from several perspectives. How do we practice gratitude? What are the spirited disciplines that make this possible? How does remembering past experiences of gratitude lead us forward through challenges into joy and thanksgiving? How do we reframe our whole lives as a gift?

Consider this ‘Grateful’ Manifesto

We believe that gratitude is a life-giving gift of grace that, by remembering where we’ve been, helps me to create a sense of thriving wherever I’m going. We thrive as grateful people by practicing gratitude as a spirited discipline, remembering with joy and thanksgiving that all we have is a gift of grace.

Thriving Reflections:

++ What was the last thing you genuinely laughed out loud about? What happened?

++ What is something enjoyable you experience each day that you’ve come to take for granted?

++ What is it about today that you’re most grateful for, and why?

++ How has feeling grateful led to a deepened sense of thriving?

#100days50words

#Thriv’ëra

Paul Gauche is the Pastor of Life Transitions at Prince of Peace. His posts are part of his #100days50words project, where he blogs about a different word each week. You can follow his project on Instagram (@pgauche) or his blog, Thriving Rhythms.