Don’t Feel Thankful? Do This 1 Thing

When we don’t feel thankful, we can still demonstrate thankfulness, and it’s beneficial to do so.

Nothing in me felt grateful. Nothing. Nada.

Ongoing relationship issues caught up to me again, and my frayed nerves didn’t handle it well. Great sobs racked my body as I unsuccessfully tried to rein in my feelings.

I knew I was blessed. I’ve counted gifts for years. I’ve written about how gracious the Lord is and the importance of gratitude. I’ve written many articles about giving thanks and finally an entire book on it, but I struggled to grasp something for which to be grateful.

In that moment, the pain of the situation blocked all of my life’s goodness.

When We Don’t Feel Thankful

Sometimes I don’t feel thankful. Maybe you can relate. Likely you’ve experienced gratitude-blocking defeat and dejection at times in your life.

Yet, the Lord doesn’t tell us to only express gratitude when we feel like it. He doesn’t let us off the hook in that way. Instead, He directs us to give thanks … regardless. We find His exhortation to do so throughout the Old and New Testaments. Here are a few examples.

“Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!” Psalm 105:1

“But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.” 2 Thessalonians 2:13

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Philippians 4:6

God is able to give such instruction because He knows our actions don’t have to match our feelings. They can precede feelings. In fact, our actions can help fuel the emotion we desire.

Because the Father knows the importance gratitude plays in the spiritual, emotional, mental, and even physical well-being of His children, He doesn’t leave us to fend for ourselves. He gave us the Holy Spirit to help us give thanks when we aren’t emotionally grateful, when we don’t feel thankful.

Actions Don’t Have to Match Feelings

In the introduction of my new book, Thankful: A 90-Day Devotional & Gratitude Journal, I mention a young blind girl who demonstrated great spiritual maturity when she declared in a poem written and recited to her grandmother at the age of eight, “Oh, what a happy child I am, Although I cannot see! I am resolved that in this world Contented I will be.”

In her poem, young Fanny Crosby demonstrates her resolve to focus on the blessings she enjoyed instead of the difficulties she faced. She determined to find things to be grateful for. And it gave her purpose, joy, and hope.

Over the years, this practice of gratitude, this one thing, changed my outlook , too, from one of gloom to one of possibility. It opened up space for hope to again abide in my life. It continues to serve a critical role in helping me faithfully and often joyfully walk out this journey God has prepared for me.

Do the 1 Thing

I’m not pretending life is easy, nor do I believe we should berate ourselves when we don’t feel thankful. But as followers of Christ, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can still act thankful, regardless of our feelings. It begins by remembering the faithfulness and love of God and His kindness to us. And continues as we pour into others. These practices grow gratitude and produce a myriad of other benefits.

In my new book, Thankful: A 90-Day Devotional and Gratitude Journal, I invite readers to remember who God is, notice what He has done, and respond with a heart shaped by His grace. My intent is to help the reader develop the important habit of living thankful, even when we don’t feel thankful.

Join Me in Launching Thankful?

No work of value succeeds in its mission in a vacuum. No author successfully launches her book without help. I’m not the exception. To get Thankful into the hands of the woman who knows she is blessed but still feels burdened, I need the help of people who believe in its message. Are you one of those individuals?

If so, I’m inviting you to join my Thankful Launch Team. Let’s have some fun. Here is a summary of the details of the launch team. Join me?

Thankful Launch Team Application (click this link)

I’m grateful for you!

Reflections: Think of a time when you didn’t feel thankful. How would that time have been redeemed if you would have acted in gratitude anyway?