A No-Fail Prompt for Gratitude

Longing for a no-fail technique that would keep her grateful, Claire McGarry turned to God for help and was blessed with the solution she needed. 

Like peanut butter & jelly, Laverne & Shirley, and Calvin & Hobbes go together, kindness should always be paired with gratitude. It’s what completes the giving process, making us mindful of how truly blessed we are. It also leads to a happier heart. Nonetheless, I still forgot to consistently express it.  

In an effort to reverse that, I read a lot of books and blogs that suggested different techniques for making gratitude a regular practice. Sadly, none of them worked for me. My mornings are far too busy to be journaling lists of things I appreciate. Snapping photos of things that bring me joy quickly uses up the storage on my phone, forcing me to buy more iCloud space to hold them. The list of ideas that were unsustainable for me went on.  

Still yearning to make gratitude a habit, I continued to look for solutions. Here and there I’d stumble upon a few that worked for a day or two, but none had staying power. As a last resort, I turned to God for help.  

Turning to God  

Why do I always wait until I’m at my wits' end to turn to God? I used to think of myself as a quick learner. Clearly, I’m no star student when it comes to dependence on Him.   

Instead, forever stubborn, forever independent, I try to do things on my own. It’s only after I finally admit I need help that I willingly seek His. Without fail, He comes through for me every single time. I shouldn’t be surprised. He knows everything about me: my hectic schedule, my limitations and obstacles, what resonates for me and what doesn’t. 

God always comes through  

Sure enough, He gave me an idea that truly works, one that is achievable and helps me honor Him. It’s as simple as it is effective.   

I’m old school: I’ve always been a pen-and-paper kind of girl. Nearly everything I’ve ever written started out as ink on paper first, then got typed and edited later. God built on that personality quirk and prompted me to write “Be Grateful” in big letters on an 8½ x 11-inch piece of paper.  

A heart full of gratitude   

Now, every morning when I make my bed, I tuck that paper under my pillow. Every night, as I remove the paper so it won’t crinkle under my head all night, I’m reminded to spend my last waking moments reviewing all the kind things God has done for me throughout the day. Prayers of thanksgiving naturally flow from there as I drift off to sleep with a heart full of gratitude. 

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Copyright 2024 Claire McGarry
Images: Canva