Thanking God for three specific things from your day
Saying “thank you, Lord, for everything” is sincere, but it leaves no trace. By dint of generalities, we forget to look at what God has really done today. This quest asks you for three specific things, no more. It is short, and it is training in seeing.
What it looks like in your day
Precision is what makes the difference. Compare:
- “Thank you for my day.”
- “Thank you for the hot coffee my colleague brought me without my asking.”
The second sentence is a real little memory. Here are some more, to give you the tone:
- The bus arrived just as you were running.
- A message from a friend who was thinking of you.
- A sentence you heard that did you good.
- The sun on the sidewalk at 8:15.
- A problem at work that sorted itself out faster than expected.
- Having a roof, hot water, a meal.
To get started, do it at a set time: while tidying your kitchen, on the subway home, or just before sleeping. If you are short on time, three short sentences are enough. If you have trouble finding something, ask yourself: “What made my life easier today?” and you will find it faster than you think. On hard days, look for something even smaller: a ray of light, a smile, a bite of bread.
You can also note them in a notebook or in your phone's notes: a three-line trace per day, and in a month, you will have a hundred blessings to reread.
What the Bible says
Gratitude is not a little extra in the Bible, it is a breath that keeps coming back. The psalmist speaks to himself, as if to call himself to order:
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:”
“Forget not all his benefits”: forgetting is our natural slope. That is why naming blessings is an act of resistance against routine, and against complaint.
Paul goes further, he makes gratitude God's will for us, even when circumstances don't lend themselves to it:
“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
Note: he doesn't say “Give thanks for everything that happens to you,” but “In every thing give thanks.” We don't give thanks for evil, we give thanks in the middle of the day, looking for what God still gives in it. And in Colossians, gratitude is tied to peace:
“And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”
Pitfalls to avoid
Façade gratitude. Don't force yourself into cheerful “thank-yous” if your heart is heavy. You can tell God: “Today was hard. But here are three things I saw.” That is honest, and it is already faith.
The same three every day. “My family, my health, my work” are real graces, but if you repeat the same list, your gaze falls asleep. Force yourself to look for something new: what you hadn't noticed yesterday.
Giving thanks by comparing. “Thank you for not being like so-and-so” is a trap. Gratitude is not a ranking, it is a look at what has been given to you.
Making it a chore. Three things is not one more duty: it is a small exercise in light. If one day you find only one, say it with joy.
Tonight, before closing your eyes, go back over your day: three specific things, and say them to God out loud or in your heart.