Inside: 35 Gratitude List Examples including specific examples for Christians.
Do you have days where you’re just thankful the day is over?
Your kid told you they hated you, you didn’t sleep well, and the power just went off so you can’t even binge-watch your favorite television show.
Yeah, me too. There are days when I collapse into my bed with tears because I feel l like Im failing.
Those are the hardest day to find anything to be thankful for, but yet those are the days when we need to rely on the power of gratitude the most.
Look: Anyone can be a cynic. Anyone can withhold thanks and hold grudges and come up with a thousand reasons to be unhappy today. It takes a strong person to look for the light. It takes a strong person to wield gratitude like a weapon. It takes a strong person to seek crazy-hard for the good and to insist on seeing the glass as half-full.
The Happiness Dare, p 256
I like to say I’m a recovering pessimist.
The negativity mindset runs deep in my family. And so I have struggled to overcome that mindset and I still catch myself staring at a glass half empty many days.
So, while I’m not sure exactly when my obsession with gratitude started, I do know it has changed my mindset and helped me find joy every day, including those days I’m on the struggle bus.
On your best day, gratitude reminds you that your gifts are not your own. And on your worst day, gratitude reminds you that you are not alone.
Gratitude is acknowledging the goodness in our lives as life exist today, not as we wish it to be.
The Happiness Dare, p 245
But why is gratitude important?
I’ve read countless books, articles, and devotionals on the subject of gratitude.
And they all amount to the same thing.
I think, Shawn Anchor says it best:
Countless other studies have shown that consistently grateful people are more energetic, emotionally intelligent, forgiving, and less likely to be depressed, anxious, or lonely. And it’s not that people are only grateful because they are happier, either; gratitude has proven to be a significant cause of positive outcomes.
The Happiness Advantage, p 97-98
To summarize, gratitude can and will increase your happiness and joy. Will it always be easy? No
Will it always be worth it?
Most definitely.
With that being said, below are some examples from my personal gratitude lists.
My hope and prayer are that it may help you live a more present, joyful, and purposeful life.
Feel free to “borrow” items from my list or use it as prompts for your own personal life. I also have a free printable with gratitude prompts for you as well HERE.
I believe we can all learn from each other and there are times when it’s helpful to see what other people say/do to help start your brain churning.
Warning, once you start, I’m not sure you’ll be able to stop.
Gratitude can stretch from the mundane to the inspirational stories we love to hear. They are all okay. There are no wrong answers here.
Gratitude will look different for every person, every changing season of life, and every mundane ordinary day.
We begin with God.
He is before all things and in him all things hold together.
Colossians 1:17 (NIV)
As Christians, It makes sense, that we start with God.
He is the beginning and the end, The alpha and the omega. He is and was and is to come. (Revelation 1:8)
One thing that has helped me when I could find nothing to be grateful for is to look to God and thank him for one of his many traits.
So the first and ultimate gratitude list example is simply, that
1. God is God.
More Spiritual Gratitude:
2. God’s many characteristics: Just, Jealous, Merciful, Friend, Father, Gracious, Gentle, Powerful, Faithful, Creative, Divine, the Gift giver. (This could be a whole new blog post so I’ll stop there.)
Related Post: 14 Extraordinary Characteristics Of God: What The Bible Says (resoundinghislove.com)
3. A Bible to read: Physical and digital
4. A safe place to worship: This is not the case in many parts of the world. To read and pray for persecuted Christians go to The Voice of the Martyrs (persecution.com)
5. Wise mentors and Christians who have gone before me: Including Bible commentators, theologians, pastors, and trusted friends.
6. The mind God gave me to read and study his word.
Workplace gratitude:
For me, This is an easy one. I’m a nurse so I’ve seen the worse of the worst cases.
When you have to work holidays it’s easy sometimes to complain and wish you were with your family but I have to remind myself I could be in the hospital or my family could be in the hospital.
7. Friendships at work: My days would be slow as molasses without the laughter and fun of my coworkers.
8. Income to meet my family’s needs.
9. A toxic environment: I know this seems odd, but I am thankful for this as it was the motivation I needed to look for a new job.
As a result of my last transfer, I’m now in a department filled with loving people, and while I can’t say I always jump out of bed with joy, especially on a beautiful sunny day, I’m no longer filled with rocks in my stomach.
10. The opportunity to serve and love others. For we are all made in God’s image. (Genesis 1:27) My prayer is to love people as Jesus did. I don’t know about you, but I have a long way to go.
But no matter your job, you can use what God gave you as a way to serve and love others.
Family Gratitude:
I admit sometimes the thing I’m thankful for with my children is the fact that they’re in bed or at school.
Parenting is a hard and daily grind. Marriage is a choice every day. In fact, any relationship requires 100% effort.
Every…single…day.
But it’s important to keep trying, keep pouring love into our families, and learning to be Godly parents and spouses and daughters and sisters every day, even if it feels like you’re a hamster on a wheel.
Related: A Heartfelt Mothers Day Tribute: 15 Moms to Honor and Love
11. Family Outings: Hikes, Games, Story Time, and More!
12. Family doing chores: I need a lot of help!
13. Hugs and snuggles
14. Seeing my kids finally grasp something they’ve been struggling with.
15. The joy and memory of riding rollercoasters at Disneyworld with my daughter: She was so much fun to ride rollercoasters with.
16. New understanding of God’s love from a parent and wife’s perspective.
Nature Gratitude:
I’ve always had a love of nature. In my humble opinion, it’s one of the best ways God shows us his great love, beauty, and creativity.
Growing up, I was taught to enjoy the outdoors. I spent numerous hours walking, canoeing, and bird-watching with my dad.
17. The changing color of leaves in Autumn
18. Butterflies and unique bugs
19. Mountains
20. Sunsets and sunrises
21. Purple field of flowers: A few months after my mother-in-law passed away, a beautiful patch of never before seen purple flowers appeared in our yard. It felt like a gift of great beauty during a time of great grief.
22. Waterfalls
23. Rain: For the coolness it can bring on a hot summer day and the growth it provides for all living things.
24. Tornados/disaster: I’m not happy about disasters. They break my heart. But they often bring the community together like nothing else, which is what I’m most thankful for.
Related Post: How to Help a Friend After a Disaster: 4 Key Takeaways to Know
All of the above reminds me of God’s beauty and power in some way.
Gratitude in the Daily Tasks of Living:
Perhaps these are the most mundane, but there is beauty in the ordinary and I’m reminded to worship God every day.
25. Laundry: Just look at the mountain of clothes you have!
26. A well-stocked pantry
27. Shelter
28. Small spaces: To hear my children’s mischief or laughter.
Ordinary may look different for everybody. But look around your house or your workplace with a new lens. Think of things you normally take advantage of having every day.
Gratitude for Health:
Working in healthcare, I’ve seen a lot of hardship. From motorcycle accidents to brain tumors in 18-year-olds to parents caring for adult children with special needs.
Not only does it make you thankful for your own health or your family’s health, but it makes you realize how fragile life is.
Your life as you know it can change in an instant.
29. My whole body: For we are beautiful and wonderfully made. (Psalm 139:14)
30. The angels who take care of kids with special needs their entire lives
31. Caring and compassionate medical staff: From doctors to techs to nurses. Please remember to thank them. Take it from someone on the other side, it does make a difference.
Gratitude in the Hard Seasons:
Do we thank God for the lessons he has taught us and how he has given us the strength to grow?
That’s a harder one, especially when we’re in the midst of grief And while we must take time for grief, we must also look forward.
May I point us to Jesus and to the many stories in the Bible where yes indeed they practiced gratitude in the darkest of moments.
Related post: 6 Surprising Stories of Gratitude in the Bible – Lisa Appelo
Happiness is not about lying to ourselves, or turning a blind eye to the negative, but about adjusting our brain so that we see the ways to rise above our circumstances.
The Happiness Advantage, p 63
I spent six weeks in Africa as a young nursing student. The people there, by American standards, had nothing to be grateful for, yet they were among some of the most joyous and grateful people I’ve ever met.
Or I think of the loved ones we’ve grieved, but I can look back and see goodness and joy and yes, dare I say it, but be grateful.
32. Lessons learned during hardship
33. Drawing near to God: He cares about every detail of our lives.
34. Memories: Time spent with loved ones before they died
35. The reunion of families at funerals: Though let this not be the only time we get together with family.
I hope the above list of gratitude examples provides you with encouragement and a way to get started with your gratitude list.
For a Free Gratitude Pack, which includes 8 scripture cards and 20 gratitude prompts go HERE.
I pray you will remember that every good gift comes from God.
He knows what we need before we do. He knows every hair on our head and yet we don’t deserve any gift he’s given us.
For the wages of sin are death and the greatest gift of all is that I don’t have to pay that debt.
My Jesus paid the debt for me and for you. So we begin with God and end with God, for He is Before all things and in him all things hold together.
As always, thanks for reading. If you found this post encouraging, I would appreciate your shares on social media.
Gratitude Resources to Get You Started Today:
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- 3 Simple Ways to Find Joy When You’re Having a Bad Day
So many great ideas here! One time I heard someone say something.like, “What if you only woke up tomorrow with the things you were grateful to God for today?” It really made me take stock of just how many blessings I have. Still, it is easy to let circumstances get us into negativity if we don’t take our thoughts captive. Good article!
What a great question to ask yourself! Definitely makes you stop and think. Thanks for sharing!