Notice the Good

Practice Gratitude on Youversion

But he answered them, “You give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” And when they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” Then he commanded them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the people. And he divided the two fish among them all. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. And those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.

Mark 6:37‭-‬44 ESV

Gratitude is a spiritual practice of seeing and celebrating the good in the world around you. This is easier said than done. 

Modern life often forces you to focus on what is bad – what needs to be fixed immediately, what crisis must be prevented, what new thing you need now to make your life better. 

Learning to notice the good takes practice. Thankfully, every time you flex your gratitude muscle you get stronger. You get positive feedback – it feels good to be grateful. And you connect with God who is the source of all goodness.

You don’t need to look for big miraculous things to be grateful for. Jesus showed that gratitude can begin with very little. On a day when it seemed like he and his friends wouldn’t have enough to eat, Jesus looked up to heaven and thanked God for the food they had (Mark 6:37-44). When Jesus did this, the little they had turned into an abundance.

Start your gratitude practice by simply noticing what is good in the world around you. This goes back to the very first chapter of the Bible, when God “sees” what is good in his creation (Genesis 1:12). 

The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Genesis 1:12 ESV

Practice: 

• What is good in the world around you right now? If the seat you’re sitting on is comfortable, thank God for that. 
• During your day, make it a point to notice one thing that’s good. If a coworker smiles at you, this can be a prompt to gratitude.
• Before you go to bed tonight, think back on your day. What was good today that you can thank God for? Make a list.

Prayer: God, thank you for the good you have put in my life today. Reveal yourself to me through your goodness. In Jesus’ name, Amen.”