I remember vividly throughout my elementary years my mother singing an old song from church with the following words, which I later learned were pulled right out of Psalm 118:24.

The song goes:

The is the day, this is the day that the Lord has made (that the Lord has made)

I will rejoice, I will rejoice and be glad in it (and be glad in it).

This is the day that the Lord has made

I will rejoice and be glad in it.

This is the day, this is the day that the Lord has made.

She would sing it so much that my siblings and I could predict when she was going to respond with this song. As you can imagine, it was usually when we approached her with complaints, grumbles, or bad attitudes.

What I didn’t realize then was that these words became ingrained in my heart at a very young age and would shape a very important heart-posture that I’d take into adulthood with me . . . but God had to remind me, first.

When life doesn’t seem very good

In 2010 I was coming out of a very rocky season in my marriage. It was deeper than that, though. I was a young mom with an 18-month-old and I had just gotten lost in it all. I didn’t know it at the time, but I was attaching my identity to all the things I was doing: being a wife, being a mom . . . and I didn’t fully understand who I was and more importantly—whose I was.

To add to the pressure I had put on myself, I was faced with the uncertainty of how God was going to put back together the mess I had made. It was as if there were broken pieces all over my tile floor and my bare feet were surrounded by shards of glass.

This broken, vulnerable place was the least thankful I’ve ever been. I wanted nothing to do with the path God had me on, which is how I found myself here on the floor to begin with. But, I also had a desire to obey because I trusted that his way was better. I still didn’t like it, though, and he was going to have to take me kicking and screaming.

Have you ever felt that way? You finally come into agreement with God, but you want him to know just how unhappy you are with the direction? It’s quite humorous looking back, but I’m thankful for a God who loves us even when we act like overtired toddlers.

It was in that moment—that commitment to obey God despite how I felt—when He started to unhurriedly remind me of who I was, that my belonging rested in him, and that a heart of gratitude would be the bridge to the beautifully rich life He so wanted me to have.

We all want that, don’t we? A rich life full of God’s goodness?

Experiencing God’s goodness

Here’s the thing about God’s goodness. Goodness is a characteristic of who God is. And if God is good, and the Spirit of God lives inside of us, we can access his goodness at any moment.

It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, what’s been done to you, or the difficulties you find yourself in—God. Is. Good. But here’s the thing—gratitude is the gateway to experiencing the goodness he has hand-picked for each of us.

Have you ever been so caught up in something that you miss out on what’s right in front of you? This is essentially the point of the common phrase, “stop and smell the roses.” We all understand the concept, but we still get distracted and wrapped up in ourselves, our lives, our problems. When we choose to be thankful, to express our gratitude, it means we’ve slowed down long enough to notice what’s happening all around us. It’s also important to realize that the declaration of gratitude is different from the feeling of gratitude.

God taught me this very important lesson when my daughter was in preschool. I was so stressed from work deadlines and constantly on-the-go trying to multitask a million different things (as moms are so good at doing). One day while my daughter was twirling and dancing right in front of me, I felt the Lord say, “Look up, don’t hurry, notice my goodness.”

As I started to unpack this idea of the interconnectedness of gratitude and the goodness of God,  I knew I wanted to live this way. I knew that the posture of thanksgiving would open up my eyes to the life that was being lived right in front of me. My choice to choose gratitude in even the simple, mundane moments would open up my eyes to how God was moving. And I just knew he had beautiful things to show me. I would bet he has beautiful things to show you, too!

It’s funny how things come full circle. Today I have two children of my own—my son who is a brand new teenager, turning 13 in February, and my daughter who is the queen of 3rd grade. And as most children do, they often come to me with complaints about chores or school or personal discomforts . . . and I meet them with a little song my mother used to sing to me.

With glimpses of Himself shining through the kindness of another, may we be a vehicle of gratitude for each other.

Meet Danielle Morgan

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Begin Within is a series to inspire a year-round lifestyle of gratitude that will impact not only your own life, but the lives of your neighbors as well. Gratitude is a theme we talk about often around here because it ties so closely into other missional living rhythms. Practicing gratitude reminds to keep our hearts soft and expectant and our eyes open. Therefore, the more we embrace gratitude, the easier it becomes to truly see our neighbors and where we can join what God is already doing in our neighborhoods.

If you would like to contribute to Begin Within, you can find the submission guidelines here.

Creating Ripples

If you would like to cultivate rhythms in addition to gratitude that will empower you live on mission in your neighborhood, check out Cultivating a Missional Life: A 30-Day Devotional to Gently Help You Open Your Heart, Home, and Life to Your Neighbors. This small book will help you make a big impact in your neighborhood as you learn to let missional living flow from the inside out. Get the 30-day missional living challenge free when you purchase the book.