10 Practical Ways to Spark Gratitude in Your Home

Gratitude. Easy to talk about. Harder to practise.

And it’s even more difficult to display gratitude around those closest to us, isn’t it true?

But love begins at home and gratitude is a very practical expression of love.

So today, our #GratefulHeart series continues with our discussion about gratitude at home.

To cover this topic, I am honoured to introduce you to my friend, Lori Schumaker who will share her heart with you today. And I am totally grateful to call her my IRL (in real life) friend.

You see, a few months ago, two bloggers met for the first time (we even have a picture to prove it). A divine encounter for sure because Lori is a desert girl and I am an island girl.

But we struck up a friendship that is real and lasting.

Now we’re hosting the #GratefulHeart Series together and we’re over the moon happy to share this with you. So, please welcome Lori.

---

10 Ways to Cultivate Gratitude in Your Home

Last week, as part of our Grateful Heart Series, Marva shared with us three important doors we have access to because of gratitude:

Joy

Peace

Purpose

Today, I am going to add one more …

Hope

The hope to know that tomorrow will always come. That even when we fail, it is not the end. And that in the storms of life, God is not only with us, but He will deliver us through every single one of them. He will keep us whole and build our broken into a new kind of beautiful.

But friends, gratitude plays a big role in this hope. In all honesty, gratitude makes or breaks the deal.

Our hope is unsustainable without a grateful heart. When we are not noticers of good, the darkness closes in choking out hope no matter how tight our grip.

“Gratitude is our ability to see the grace of God, morning by morning, no matter what greets us in the course of the day.” –Craig Barnes

So if gratitude is a powerful weapon in defending our

Joy

Peace

Purpose and

Hope …

Isn’t it an equipping we want our children to have? Don’t we want them to know how to defend their hearts when trials come their way? How to hold onto their joy? How to live with purpose?

All of this is happening for your good. As grace is spread to the multitudes, there is a growing sound of thanks being uttered by those relishing in the glory of God. So we have no reason to despair. Despite the fact that our outer humanity is falling apart and decaying, our inner humanity is breathing in new life every day. -2 Corinthians 4:15-16 (VOICE)

Grateful Heart or Not?

A few years ago, I heard something that always bothered me. A Mama who passionately loved her children explained that she felt it was wrong for her children and spouse to thank her for all that she did each day in meeting their daily needs. She went on to explain that it’s a Mother’s responsibility and joy to do these things and necessitating gratitude sends the message that her husband and children are indebted to her. She felt it was a burden none of them needed to bear.

As much as I admire her tender and loving heart toward her family, I passionately disagree. I believe she is unknowingly stealing a powerful weapon away from them.

Our relationship with the Father serves as a model for our relationship as the parent. As I give Him thanks for every breath I take, we plant the seeds of that thanksgiving in our children through teaching them to live out gratitude with us, their parents.

If I don’t teach my children about gratitude in the everyday moments, how will their hearts grow in strength and in might? How will they grasp the unfailing love of God? How will they cultivate a grateful heart?

For both my husband and me, gratitude has always been a priority. I know we haven’t always done it justice and believe me when I say, we have at times missed it by a long shot! Yet, it has remained a priority and today I can say I see my childrens’ hearts cultivating gratitude. As they have gotten older, it’s no longer all about me teaching them, but it’s about watching the fruit of it in their lives. And I pray with all my heart they will continue as they have started.

I most certainly do not have all the answers or tricks. You probably have several great ideas yourselves, but for the new Mama or the struggling Mama here are 10 ways that have helped me cultivate gratitude in our home.

Here are my 10 Favorite Ways to Cultivate Gratitude within Our Homes

♥Model a grateful heart in your home. Expect your children to say thank you, but also require that of yourself with your spouse and with those in your everyday life.

♥Read God’s Word together. We make it part of our drive-time! I keep fun devotional books in the car. Just as soon as my children could read, they read the devotion aloud and together we discussed it.

♥Pray together every single day. Whether it as a family or one-on-one consciously go before each day in humility thanking Him for our blessings and placing our requests at His feet.

♥Worship together. Lots of Churches, including ours, have separate services for the children. Our children usually attend the children’s programming, however, on occasion they attend with us so we can worship together. We also attend worship nights and Christian concerts together.

♥Communicate, communicate, communicate! Help your children understand why we pray, why we worship, and why we give. Help them comprehend how our love for our Heavenly Father inspires us toward thankfulness and the giving of ourselves.

♥Serve the less fortunate together as a family. Make it an option for a birthday party instead of the standard bounce house extravaganza!

♥Model sacrifice for others. Our children watch us closely. They notice when our actions and our words do not line up.

♥Keep a gratitude journal or list.

♥Keep a Gratitude Jar. I cut up note-sized pieces of paper putting them in a drawer near the jar with pens and pencils. As the kids are standing around the kitchen, each day they write out at least one unique thing for which they are thankful and place it in the jar.

♥Express thankfulness to those who have gone out of their way to bless you. Whether it is hand writing a thank you card, making a personal phone call, or sending an email or text that includes a picture, intentionally expressing gratitude serves to build up that gratitude muscle!

What about you?

What do you do in your family to cultivate a grateful heart? We would love to have you add to this list in the comments below!

Thursday, the #GratefulHeart Series will be on both SunSparkleShine and on Searching for Moments, so make sure to stop by both places! We are going to have a special surprise for those who have subscribed to the series, so don’t miss out!

*************************

As a wife, mom, teacher, friend, and writer, Lori believes her purpose is to encourage others to seek hope. Pointing others to Jesus brings her joy. Writing about the hope of Jesus is her focus. It’s because of this that she is excited to welcome you as a friend as you struggle through brokenness, celebrate life’s joys, and grow to know Jesus more and more. Find her blog, Searching for Moments at http://www.lorischumaker.com/
Facebook – www.facebook.com/searchingformoments
Pinterest – www.pinterest.com/lschumaker
Instagram – www.instagram.com/searchingformoments
Twitter – www.twitter.com/lori_schumaker

 Want to catch up on the Grateful Heart Mini-Series?

♥ Series introductions from Lori and me.

♥ Post #1: Gratitude – How to Unlock the Power of Gratitude

♥ A Prayer for Hope When All Seems Lost 

♥ A Prayer for a Grateful Heart {#MomentsofHope Linkup}

 

Wishing you blessings, 

       and Lori 🙂

Please spread the shine and share this with your friends.