Gratitude and Thanksgiving
November 8, 2025 — Laura House
My mom was a thankful woman. As a child, I remember her teaching us gratitude in so many ways. There were things to be grateful for, no matter what our circumstances were at the time. She also taught us to be grateful givers. Whether it was helping an elderly person, taking in a child awaiting foster placement, or loving on someone who was ill, Mom had a servant’s heart and a thankful spirit.
Surprisingly, I have an unusually vivid memory from my grade school years, when mom presented a challenge as we drove to church one Sunday morning. The rules were simple. We could only speak prayers of gratitude. What were we thankful for? As we made the twenty-five minute trek, we were amazed at how many things there were to thank the Lord for. And when we landed at church, we were happy people, also grateful for the chance to come together freely to worship. You should try it sometime.
Often, my prayers seem to be an endless litany of problems, and contain so much asking. Petition is certainly a part of prayer, and for those of us grieving, prayers of lament are incredibly important, but praise and thanksgiving should be prominent as well.
I have another memory of my mom that I purposefully implemented in my own mothering. When something happy or good happened, she immediately offered a cheerful “thank you Lord.” And her children were listening. As a child, I learned that God is the One who is responsible for all good things. James 1:17 says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
Mom mentored us in gratitude. Imparting truth to us at every turn, she fostered our sense of wonder at all of the goodness of God. Beautiful flowers adorned our yard, and mom was quick to point out the variety and exquisite detail, and say “thank you Lord.” Even the most mundane things received an appreciative expression of thanks.
Of the many memories of interactions with Nathan, there are a few that stand out. After nearly every meal I made for him as a teenager and then as an adult, he picked up his plate to head to the sink, looked me in the eye and enthusiastically said, “Thanks, Mom.” Sometimes it included additional accolades, but the gratitude always moved me. I miss that boy!
Leading up to thanksgiving this year, Gary and I are creating a “thankful pumpkin” for our table. Using a permanent marker to write words on the pumpkin, the concept is simple. It serves as a reminder of all that we have to be thankful for, even amid our grief.
Before I end today, I want to make a comment about the Psalms. If you’ve been around Our Hearts Are Home for even a short time, then you’ve heard those who are leading events talk frequently about the importance of lament. One third of the Book of Psalms are psalms of lament. For someone who is grieving in any way, those are such incredible words to read…to pray. Many of the Psalms of lament also have a component of gratitude.
Then there are the Psalms of thanksgiving that so perfectly express the overwhelming sense of wonder of what God has done for us and provided for us. If you are leaning on the Psalms for your prayer time, when you “graduate” in your grief from only reading and praying the Psalms of lament to those of thanksgiving, I think you’ll be astounded. The depth of description, emotion, and awe are palpable. The one true God, Creator of everything in existence, loves you fully. You are completely known by Him. And in that knowledge, we can rest. We can find comfort for our shattered hearts. We can trust. And that trust leads to peace.
——
Psalm 62:5-8
My soul, wait in silence for God alone, For my hope is from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation, My refuge; I will not be shaken. My salvation and my glory rest on God; The rock of my strength, my refuge is in God. Trust in Him at all times, you people; Pour out your hearts before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah
Psalm 100: 1-5
Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing. Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name. For the Lord is good; His lovingkindness is everlasting, And His faithfulness to all generations.
Psalm 95:1-7
O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord, Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God And a great King above all gods, In whose hand are the depths of the earth, The peaks of the mountains are His also. The sea is His, for it was He who made it, And His hands formed the dry land. Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God, And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.
