How To Thank God When You’re Not Feeling Thankful

A Thank you note which helps us to think of reasons to thank God — Image by June Laves from Pixabay

Let me be totally honest with you. I know I should thank God for my blessings every day, but sometimes I don’t feel thankful. Sure, I’ve learned to go through my standard list and force myself to thank him, but I know I can do better. True thanksgiving should flow from the heart and be effortless. Rather than force myself to read through a list of blessings, I should be overflowing with thanks for all that God has done for me.

I recently discovered a list of 100 Remarkable Reasons To Thank God and it’s just what I needed. Even though the list was designed to be used at Thanksgiving, it is perfect to use every day of the year. As I read through the items on this list, I became aware of just how much God has blessed me.

Here’s a sample…

The Place and Timing of Your Birth

Thank God for your conception.
Thank God for knitting you together in your mother’s womb.
If you survived your mother’s pregnancy, thank God.
If you survived your birth, thank God.
If you were born in a free country, thank God.
If you were born to parents who loved you and provided for you, thank God (and thank them).
If you enjoyed growing up with siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents, thank God.

Protection

If you were ever almost severely hurt or killed, thank God.
If you ever survived a car accident, thank God.
If you were ever seriously sick and lived, thank God.
If someone ever protected you from harm, thank God.
If you’ve ever survived an earthquake, hurricane or other severe weather event, thank God.
If you’ve ever been kept from an addiction, thank God.
If you’ve ever overcome an addiction, thank God.
Thank God for all the times he has protected you when you were unaware.

Health

For diseases, disorders or cancers you’ve never had, thank God.
For diseases, disorders or cancers you’ve had and overcome, thank God.
If you’ve never needed an ambulance, thank God.
If you’ve never had a broken bone, thank God.
If you’ve never had a mental/emotional disorder, thank God.
If you enjoy each of the five senses, thank God.
If you can walk, run, jump and climb, thank God.
For every automatic bodily process keeping you alive at this very moment, thank God.
Estimate the number of days you’ve enjoyed a clean bill of health and thank God. (20 years = 7,300 days)