“We pray for the big things and forget to give thanks for the ordinary, small (and yet really not small) gifts. How can God entrust great things to one who will not thankfully receive from Him the little things?” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community)

Here’s a convicting question that has slapped me in the face a time or two: if you woke up tomorrow only with those things and people you gave thanks for, what and who would be left? What do you have in your hand that you’ve forgotten to be thankful for? Who in your life have you taken for granted and not shown gratitude to?

This may or may not be entirely biblically accurate, but I think that God sometimes withholds the larger gifts from us until we’ve learned how to be thankful for smaller ones. Or maybe we show we’re mature enough to handle certain things by how we express gratitude rather than entitlement.

Even if one doesn’t lead to the other, it’s still good manners to say thank you. My Momma made sure I learned that one (and still reminds me from time to time). Still, I can practice being thankful when it comes to people and completely forget to thank God for long stretches of time. That’s a bit dumb. After all, He’s the one who is the source of all good things, right?

The more you say thanks, the more content you are. The more grateful you are, the less stuff you need. You can be counter cultural and say, “No thanks. I have enough. I’m good.”

Practice gratitude. Remember what my momma said. Say thank you. A lot.