Practice

By Pastor Paul Gauche

Today’s Word: ‘Practice‘ as in… Practice does not make perfect; practice makes progress.

The guiding narrative for the thriving rhythm of gratitude begins this way:

“We thrive as grateful people who practice gratitude as a spirited discipline.”

When we set an intention to practice gratitude, things shift in us, and when things begin to shift in us, shifts begin to take place around us. Our brains, hearts, spirits, and relationships all have the potential to change.

Expressing gratitude is much more than simply saying thanks. Gratitude, as a spirited intention, leads to a deepened sense of thriving, which takes place over time. It’s a creative process. We don’t wake up determined to be more grateful by the day’s end. It’s not a matter of effort. It’s not a matter of achieving a series of metrics. How would we ever know if we arrived? So, we don’t become more grateful by working at it. Certainly, there’s intention. There is an awareness, there is focus, but cultivating a deepened sense of gratitude happens slowly over time.

Here’s an image: tiny drops of water fall into a bucket. One drop by one drop, they add up to something more. The tiny droplets’ slow, steady, ongoing rhythm seems inconsequential. But in time, all those singular, individual tiny drops taken together reveal a bucket overflowing with water. Water, thriving in abundance.

The guiding narrative continues by encouraging us to “remember with joy and thanksgiving that all we have is a gift of grace.” This act of remembering leads us back to the intention of the practice. Setting an intention to be aware of and open to what fills our buckets helps us to discover that we have much for which to be grateful. That leads to thriving.

 

Thriving Reflections:

++ What specific practices help you focus on gratitude?

++ What stirs your gratitude as you reflect on the past several days?

++ Anticipating the coming days, what leads you to gratitude?

++ What one practice will you tend to today that could help develop deeper gratitude for you and others?

#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.