12 Disciplines of a Grateful Heart

Part 3

2. Give thanks for the small and ordinary things

In looking at the 12 disciplines, we’ve covered the first one, which was to give thanks to God independent of feelings. In this 2^nd discipline, we are told to give thanks for the small things.

Often, we forget to praise God for the ordinary things in our lives. We don’t think too much about the little blessings we receive every day. They seem so ‘ordinary’ that we don’t give them much thought. But God loves to hear us offer prayers of thanksgiving, regardless of the size of the blessing.

We receive small blessings so often and so regularly from God, that we can actually become unappreciative of them. Familiarity breeds contempt.  We don’t even think of them as blessings. The sun coming up each morning, the cool breeze on a summers’ day, the laughter of a child, the song of a bird, a picturesque sunset, the traffic light turning green when you’re on your way home after a long day, the parking space right in front of the store, the extra blanket on the bed on a cold winters’ morning.

There is so much to be thankful for that our list would be endless if we sat down to write one. I find it a good habit to keep a gratitude journal where I can jot down things I’m thankful for every day. It keeps my focus on God’s goodness and helps me to praise him more regularly.  

God speaks of small things, like the sparrow, and the hairs of our head. That’s an interesting one, thanking God for the hair on our head!

Matthew 10:29-30

 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

I imagine that when God healed the ten lepers, and only one returned, the one that returned to glorify God gave thanks for his ten finger and ten toes. Fingers and toes that now worked as they should and caused him no pain and suffering anymore. Do we give thanks for our fingers and toes?

Luke 17:15-16

. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks

The word ordinary means, to have no distinctive features or something that is commonplace or standard. Well, there are a lot of commonplace things that we ought to be grateful to God for. God is not just the God of big things, he’s the God of small things. Ordinary things. Unnoticed things.