It’s official – 2024 is coming to a close. With every year that goes by, it’s natural to look back and find positive and negative moments to reflect on. Moments like when you accomplished a fitness goal or achieved a grade you worked so hard for, or maybe when you didn’t get the promotion you thought was yours. Regardless of what might be going through your mind, one thing is for sure: you can always find a way to be grateful and accept the year for what it was. As believers, we submit ourselves to the idea that God grants us the days of our life as He wishes; every day is a gift, ultimately given by Him. And while not every day can feel like a gift, it’s important to remember to be grateful for the chances we are given. Chances to live, spend time with family and friends, travel, breathe fresh air, and even connect with God no matter the circumstances surrounding us. 

Gratitude is not something easy, though. After all, if it was, everyone would do it. According to Psychology Today, gratitude is more like a spontaneous feeling that can increase with practice. It takes you to make a conscious effort to “count your blessings” every day. Studies even show that people who deliberately cultivate gratitude have stronger relationships with friends, family, coworkers, animals, nature, and life in general; allowing them to increase their lifespan and decrease health risks like stress, blood pressure and depression. Think about it. Simply taking some time to reflect and pause can directly affect your health for the better. Contrary to gratefulness, which is attributed more to a mood or personality trait, gratitude is an active practice that requires diligence, mindfulness, and connection. 

As this year comes to an end, it’s a good idea to start developing the life-giving habit of showing gratitude for 2024. Here are a few simple ways to start: 

Notice The Good Around You

It can be easy to overlook specks of goodness in your life. You can think of these as ‘little moments.’ Maybe it’s seeing someone hold the door for someone else, seeing someone pay for another’s coffee, or even watching a bird bring food to its nest. Whatever it is that you see, remember to take a moment and thank God for granting you the chance to witness His love, mercy and goodness toward His creation. While you notice it, give thanks to God for being good to you. It’s through this simple action that you will start to notice how much good there is. 

Write Down What You’re Grateful For

Writing is not everyone’s forte. However, you don’t need to write beautifully to capture what you’re grateful for every single day. Whether it’s in bullet form, or a page expressing your gratitude for the people and things in your life, writing down your ‘blessings’ can be an easy way to reflect on how far God has brought you from one day to the next. Many call this action, journaling. Psychologists argue that there are many positive benefits to journaling, including expressing your emotions, reducing your anxious thoughts and giving you a physical recall of the things that have happened in your life. Whenever you’re feeling like life is not going your way, you can always go back to your journal and instantly see how God has moved in your life. Writing down what you’re grateful for can even help you become less prideful and selfish, as you see how much you really do have, versus what you don’t. 

Practice Gratitude Rituals Like Prayer

There is a reason why Christians around the world say ‘grace’ before every meal. Theologian John Piper says that the whole point of a mealtime prayer is to receive the blessing of God’s provision with thanksgiving – not to ensure that our food is necessarily “blessed.” After all, food eaten before a prayer is not any less blessed by God. However, giving thanks through a gratitude ritual like prayer places your heart in a position of glorifying God instead of turning to yourself. And while there is no time limit to saying a prayer of thanks, you should remember that every prayer should be said with the utmost respect and with a heart completely attuned to God. 

Express Gratitude In Big And Small Ways 

It sounds simple but saying ‘thank you’ can go a long way in practicing gratitude, even on your worst days. Even if life feels like it’s falling apart, your manners and gratitude should never go out the window just because you don’t feel like it. The good thing is, there are several ways to express gratitude beyond just ‘thanks.’ Here are just a few different ways you can vocally express your appreciation: 

• I appreciate what you did.
• Thank you for thinking of me.
• Thank you for your time today.
• I am so thankful for what you did.
• I really appreciate your help. Thank you.

Learn To Be Present With All Your Emotions

Part of growing in your practice of gratitude includes accepting that not every day will be a great day. Some days will bring sadness, anger, frustration and gloom; and those are okay, too. However, it’s important to be grateful even in those moments as well. Think about it – having the capability to experience a range of emotions is a gift in itself. When we learn to be present with our emotions, we learn how to cope with them, work through them and grow from them. Instead of pretending to be ‘okay,’ learn to be grateful for what days are to come. Acknowledge that there are both positive and negative emotions, and try to highlight the lessons you can learn from every moment. 

This year has brought many changes and difficulties. Within the past 12 months, we’ve experienced storms, disasters, elections, illnesses, death, births, parties and moments of solitude – all of which require our grateful hearts to reflect upon them. 

As an ACU Online student, you can work through these moments and practices with specialists like our Student Wellness Manager and our dedicated team of faculty and staff. While you’re at it, learn more about ACU Online and the various programs we have available starting in 2025!