With its awakening beauty, the coming of spring weather presses upon the soul a call to consider what we have and how we receive it. Gratitude is not a passive feeling stirred by favorable circumstances; it is a conscious discipline, a spiritual personality formed in humility and expressed in reverence. Thankfulness, rightly understood, is not circumstantial—it is theological. It flows from our understanding of Our Lord and Creator and our place before Him.
Our Lord and Saviour posed an emotional question in the Gospel of Luke when He healed ten lepers, and only one returned to glorify Him: “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine?” (Luke 17:17). In that moment, Jesus exposed the spiritual blindness of entitlement and forgetfulness. Only one—a Samaritan, a social outsider—recognized the mercy he had received and responded with thanksgiving. Gratitude, then, is not a common reaction but a spiritual awakening. It is the fruit of one who sees grace where others see only gain. When we fail to return to give glory to Our Lord, we betray a heart still tethered to self.
Thankfulness arises when we recognize our dependence upon Our Father—not only for sustenance and daily provision but for salvation itself. A humble heart knows that the breath we draw and the strength to work, love, and serve are not self-generated but divinely bestowed. The apostle Paul writes, “Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another...rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer” (Romans 12:10-12). These are not merely moral instructions but manifestations of a heart grounded in humility and gratitude. Such a heart does not compete for recognition or clamor for reward—it serves, hoping not in earthly outcomes but in the faithfulness of Our Lord.
In many cases, we imagine that the abundance of possessions or the arrival of dreams fulfilled will usher in gratitude. But true thankfulness does not grow in affluence. Affluence often obscures our awareness of need. The genuinely thankful are not those who have the most but those who see Our Lord’s hand in the smallest of things. It is not what we possess but how we perceive that determines the richness of our gratitude. According to the Septuagint in Proverbs 10:22, the Lord's blessing is enriching and does not come with sorrow. “The blessing of the Lord is upon the head of the righteous; it enriches him, and grief of heart shall not be added to it.” The absence of sorrow here does not imply a lack of hardship but rather the removal of bitterness. Gratitude shields the soul from the grief of discontent.
Gratitude turns bitterness into acceptance and disappointment into opportunity. Gratitude is not reactive but intentional. And it is humility that makes it possible. Without humility, we measure our worth by recognition. But with humility, we receive even disappointments as opportunities to grow in trust. We become adaptive to find ways to open our hearts to see Our Lord’s hand more clearly and rest in His sovereignty. As Paul exhorted the church in Rome, we are called to “rejoice in hope” and remain “patient in tribulation,” not because the tribulation is pleasant, but because Our Lord and Saviour are faithful. One practical way to cultivate this is to keep a gratitude journal and write down three things you are thankful for daily. This simple practice can help shift your focus from what you lack to what you have, fostering a spirit of gratitude and humility.
Too often, pride poisons gratitude. When we believe we are owed something—recognition, status, comfort—we are easily offended when it does not arrive. But gratitude flows from the opposite posture. It begins with the confession that we are not owed anything yet have received everything. A grateful heart bows before Our Father, not as a demand for more but in praise for what already is.
This is why thankfulness and humility are inseparable. One cannot persist without the other. The thankful soul is the humble soul that rejoices not in achievement but in grace. And grace, by its nature, is undeserved. It is our Lord's unmerited favor and love, freely given to us. That is what makes it glorious. Understanding and accepting this grace is fundamental in cultivating gratitude and humility in our lives.
In a culture saturated with entitlement and driven by self-promotion, thanksgiving becomes not just countercultural but a testimony. Gratitude is evangelistic. When others see us give thanks amid uncertainty or loss, when they observe us honor others above ourselves, they glimpse the humility of Christ. Our Lord and Saviour modeled this so perfectly in His earthly ministry. He often gave thanks before multiplying bread, raising the dead, and entering the suffering of the cross. Gratitude was not His response to comfort but His declaration of trust. Choosing gratitude is a powerful statement in a world that often values self-promotion and recognition. It is a declaration of trust in Our Lord and a testament to the countercultural nature of true thankfulness.
This same trust ought to define our lives. As Paul later wrote from a prison cell—not from a place of comfort, but from chains—“I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content” (Philippians 4:11). Contentment is not apathy; it is peace. It is the fruit of a heart rooted in thankfulness, knowing that Our Lord and Creator are sovereign over every circumstance. Such contentment grows only in the soil of humility.
Thankfulness is a lifelong pursuit that places Our Lord at the center and our desires at the foot of the cross. Let this season, framed by the flowering of spring and the constellations above, stir in us not merely sentiment but submission. As the apostle writes elsewhere, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.” (Colossians 3:16-17). In giving thanks, we do not merely offer polite words—we offer our hearts transformed by humility and full of faith.
Let gratitude be our discipline, humility our covering, and thankfulness our witness. In this, we walk in step with the saints who came before and in communion with Our Lord and Saviour, who humbled Himself to raise us into life everlasting.
Share the Blessing
Thank you for spending time with us in reflection today. By recognizing Our Lord's hand in all things, both the blessings and the challenges, we can grow in faith and live with a heart full of thankfulness. If this devotional has blessed you, we encourage you to share it with others needing rest and peace. Let's continue to support one another in our pursuit of spiritual renewal by spreading the message of His peace.
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Together, let us journey toward deeper reflection and rest in Our Lord. May you walk in wisdom and light, always guided by His truth. In Jesus' name, Our Lord and Saviour.
