A young man with a bandaged hand once walked into a post office and asked the clerk for help. “Would you mind writing a note on this postcard for me?” he said. The clerk gladly agreed and even offered to write the message for him.

After finishing, the clerk asked, “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

The young man paused and said, “Yes—please add a postscript: ‘Please excuse the handwriting.’”

This story is a small reminder of how easy it is to take kindness for granted. Even when we receive help, we can forget to be truly thankful. The Russian author Dostoevsky once said that the best description of humanity might be: “the ungrateful biped.” And when we read about Jesus healing ten lepers in Luke 17, we see this sad truth in action. Only one of the ten came back to thank Him.

Jesus asked, “Were not ten cleansed? But the nine—where are they? Was no one found who returned to give glory to God, except this foreigner?” (Luke 17:17–18).

This story teaches us something important: we tend to forget to give thanks. Gratitude doesn’t come naturally. That’s why we must learn to cultivate it—intentionally, thoughtfully, and regularly.

Remembering What God Has Done

One of the reasons we lose a grateful heart is that we forget what God has done for us. Over time, we begin to act as if we deserve His blessings. Grace turns into entitlement in our minds. To fight this dangerous mindset, we need to build the habit of remembering.

God’s Past Deliverance

In the United States, we have one day set aside for giving thanks—Thanksgiving Day. But let’s be honest: it’s usually more about food, football, and shopping than about thankfulness to God. In contrast, the people of Israel had multiple festivals throughout the year to help them remember what God had done. These celebrations reminded them of God’s faithfulness in the past—how He rescued them from slavery, gave them food in the desert, and brought them into a land of promise.

Still, they often forgot. Scripture says, “They did not remember Your abundant kindnesses” (Psalm 106:7) and “They quickly forgot His works” (Psalm 106:13). The prophet Hosea described how the people became proud and self-satisfied and, because of that, they “forgot Me” (Hosea 13:6).

This is not just an ancient problem—it’s our problem, too. When life is going well, it’s easy to think, I’ve got this. I worked hard. I earned this. But that kind of thinking leads to pride, and pride leads to forgetting God.

Moses warned the Israelites about this long before they entered the Promised Land. He said, “Then your heart will become proud and you will forget the LORD your God who brought you out from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.… Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth’” (Deuteronomy 8:14, 17). The solution? “You shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who is giving you power to make wealth” (8:18).

God calls us to remember on purpose. It’s not just a feeling we wait for—it’s a discipline. We must take time daily to reflect on His faithfulness. Without that discipline, we’ll slowly forget, and as we forget, our gratitude fades.

Gratitude for the Present

Christian author Os Guinness once wrote, “Rebellion against God does not begin with the clenched fist of atheism but with the self-satisfied heart of the one for whom ‘thank you’ is redundant.” In other words, people don’t usually turn away from God with loud arguments. More often, they just become too proud or too busy to say “thank you.”

The apostle Paul asked the Corinthians, “What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). That’s a good question for all of us. Everything we have—our minds, our bodies, our families, our resources—are gifts. But how often do we recognize this truth in our daily lives?

When we forget to be thankful, we tend to fall into one of two traps: pride or bitterness.

• Pride says, I earned this. I’m doing just fine without God.
• Bitterness says, Why don’t I have what they have? God isn’t being fair to me.

Both attitudes reveal a lack of trust in God’s goodness. In good times, we assume we don’t need Him. In hard times, we blame Him. But both attitudes flow from the same root: forgetfulness of His grace.

Psalm 103:2 gives us this advice: “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget none of His benefits.” Forgetting is easy. Remembering takes effort—but it also brings peace and contentment.

Gratitude in Trials

It might seem strange to talk about gratitude during times of suffering. But the Bible says that even trials can be reasons for thanksgiving. In fact, difficulties often help us see God’s faithfulness more clearly.

In Romans 5, Paul wrote that “tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope” (vv. 3–4). In other words, hard times help shape our character and deepen our trust in God. Later, in Romans 8:28, Paul reminds us that “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him.”

That doesn’t mean everything is good. But it does mean God can use everything—good or bad—for His purpose in our lives.

Sometimes, we don’t see how a painful experience could ever be used for good. In those moments, I’ve learned to practice what I call suspended judgment. I may not understand what God is doing, but I trust who God is. He is good. He is wise. And when I finally see Him face to face, I believe I will say, “He did all things well.”

Choosing a Life of Thanksgiving

Gratitude is not a one-time event. It’s a way of life. It must be practiced, cultivated, and expressed. We don’t wait for perfect circumstances to be thankful. We choose to give thanks—especially when life is hard.

Paul tells us, “In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Notice what it doesn’t say: “Give thanks for everything.” We’re not told to thank God for pain, but we are told to thank Him in the midst of it.

Why? Because thanksgiving reminds us of God’s goodness, His presence, and His promises. It shifts our focus away from ourselves and back onto our Savior.

Here’s a practical idea: take time each day to name three things you’re thankful for. Write them down. Say them out loud. Share them with someone. The more you do this, the more you’ll begin to notice the little ways God blesses you every day.

The Example of Jesus

Finally, let’s remember the ultimate example of gratitude: Jesus Christ Himself. At the Last Supper, on the night He would be betrayed, Jesus took bread and gave thanks (Luke 22:19). Think about that. He knew what was about to happen—betrayal, arrest, pain, and death—yet He gave thanks.

If our Savior could give thanks in that moment, surely we can choose gratitude in our daily lives.

Conclusion

Gratitude is not just about saying “thank you” when things go our way. It’s about recognizing that everything we have is a gift from God—past, present, and future. It’s about choosing to remember instead of forget. It’s about trusting God, even when life is confusing or painful. And most of all, it’s about giving glory to the One who gave us everything, including His Son.

Let us become people who remember well, trust deeply, and thank constantly. For in doing so, we reflect the heart of God to a world in need of hope.