ThankfulnessSample

Expressing thankfulness

Thankfulness is an attitude of the heart. But that does not mean that our thankfulness needs to keep silent! When our hearts are thankful, this will show on the outside. Just like we tend to “say thanks”, not just to “feel thankful” when other people are nice to us, it’s good to express our thankfulness to God. He is worthy of our praise.

A common way to “say thanks” to God, is in prayer. Besides bringing our sorrows, problems, or doubts before our heavenly Father, it is good to mention the blessings He has given us. Explicitly listing these blessings will also help us to remember God’s goodness to us and to develop an attitude of thankfulness.

The letter to the Colossians mentions another means to express our thanks: by “singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs”. These can be centuries-old psalms that express human emotions in timeless ways, or it can be brand new songs that the Holy Spirit puts in believers’ hearts. We can sing alone or together, a cappella or accompanied by musical instruments, in church or while doing the laundry. There are countless ways to express our thankfulness to God. We just need to remind ourselves to do so regularly!

Do you often use songs to express your emotions?