Bridget A. Thomas
Every day is a gift!
Focusing on the Lord With Gratitude
Hello, Friends! I hope you’re all doing well. I’ve missed the community here, as I have only posted six times this year! 😱 So with tomorrow being World Gratitude Day, I thought this would be a good opportunity for me to post.
Many of you know I’m a big fan of gratitude. But I also know that life can be hard. And some days it’s difficult to think about or care about gratitude. And with the evil we see in our world, it’s so easy to feel down.
However … I have seen firsthand how gratitude truly does make a difference in our daily lives. When we keep gratitude in our hearts, it helps us to face each day with courage, instead of defeat. It helps us to find contentment, rather than complaints. Gratitude trains our eyes to see all the blessings God has given us. Gratitude (and praise) are powerful weapons that defeat the attacks of the enemy.
So with tomorrow being World Gratitude Day, let’s take some time for thanksgiving. Look around at your life and find the gifts, big or small. From a hot cup of coffee (or tea) ☕️ to roofs over our heads – there are countless things we can be thankful for.
In a recent blog post, my friend Judy reminded me that even when things aren’t going well or when things aren’t going the way we would like, we can be thankful for our Heavenly Father and His plans.
Gratitude isn’t just for one day a year, though. I encourage us all to continue our gratitude each day. Let’s try to make this a part of our daily lives.
On Tuesday we will begin the countdown for the final 100 days in 2025. Last year I wrote about ways we can finish the year strong. Therefore, perhaps we will want to focus on gratitude for the next fourteen weeks?
As many of you would likely agree, I have numerous Bible verses that I can call favorites. At the top of my list, though, is 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
These words really speak to my heart. Praise, prayer, and thankfulness keep us close to the Lord. They help us to keep our focus on Him, which helps us to feel His presence. They help us to trust Him. And they help us to have the peace that surpasses understanding.
In her recent blog post, Nancy over at “From the Inside Out” reminds us of the importance of holding onto God’s promises and holding onto praise. Even in the midst of the tragedies we see on the news.
And a recent post by Rainer at The Devotional Guy™ emphasizes the importance of staying grounded in God’s Word.
With all that being said, this is the direction I want to lead my heart as we wrap up the year. I want to keep gratitude, prayer, praise, and God’s promises in the forefront of my mind.
I hope you have a weekend full of blessings to be thankful for. And thank you for stopping by and reading. God bless!
© 2018-2025 Bridget A. Thomas. All rights reserved.
Bridget A. Thomas 
I’m tickled pink that you posted today and that I could be included in your encouraging reminder about being grateful. Gratitude is truly a choice we make. It’s easy to be ungrateful. Thanks for sharing this timely reminder.
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Your “tickled pink” comment made me smile! Your words are so true – it is easy to be ungrateful and we do have to make that choice to be intentional about gratitude. Thank you, Rainer!
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🙏
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I’m honored you chose to include a link to my post, Bridget. Thank you! I too have discovered the power of gratitude to keep my spirit out of the pit of despair. One hundred days of gratitude to close out 2025 is an inspired idea!
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And just thinking about things like gratitude and praise and how God gave us these tools as part of our armor – this brings more gratitude because it shows how much God loves us. He doesn’t leave us alone in our despair. He is so good to us. 🙌 Thank you, Nancy!
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Gratitude makes me think of the ten lepers and only one came back to thank Jesus.
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I love you pointed that out. There is such a valuable lesson in that story. Thank you, Matt.
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Amen. Love the picture of the hummingbird. Remarkable creatures.
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Yes! We have really enjoyed having them around this summer ♥️ Thank you, Judy!
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♥️
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It’s great to see you post again, Bridget, especially about gratitude, which is one of your favorite things. More power, God’s power, to you, sister!
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Thank you, brother! The enemy tried to stop me. I need to remember to put on my armor when I try to write. But I am hoping to post some more in the coming weeks. 🙏🏻
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Beautiful photo Bridget ❤️
Happy World Gratitude Day!
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Thank you! We have hummingbird feeders on the front and back porches. And the flowers helped draw them too. It’s been fun watching them this year. And Happy World Gratitude Day to you too. ♥️
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Such an inspiring post to read today! 🙂 Gratitude is everything. As you point out, the little things are all worthy of our appreciation…a steaming hot cup of coffee etc. The thing is, the more we appreciate the little things, the happier we are. We learn to savor the moments of our lives as they are happening. It certainly makes us thank God for His provision day in and day out…God showers us with blessings moment to moment.
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You said that so well, Linda. Thank you for your inspiring words. May we remember to “savor the moments of our lives” with gratitude to God for all His goodness 🤍
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Hi Bridget! It was so refreshing to see your post today. Thank you for spreading God’s love and light by reminding us of the importance of giving God praise and being grateful, even in this crazy world. Hope all is well, have a blessed week ❤️
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Hi Dawn! I needed this reminder myself. And I’m glad it was encouraging for others too. God is so good and gracious, yet I often find myself complaining more often than I like. I want to be better about finding the blessings instead of looking at the small grievances. Thank you, Dawn. I hope you have a blessed week too ♥️
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Ahhh cute little hummingbird! Sweet way to end the post!
Your writing motivates me to remember to count my blessings! I feel like I’ve been doing a lot of complaining lately, probably from being too busy, I need refocused with a grateful heart and His many blessings.
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I’m glad you enjoyed the picture! 😁 And I know exactly what you mean about the complaining. I agree that when we get busy or stressed, it doesn’t help matters. And I like the way you put that – “I need refocused with a grateful heart and His many blessings.” Yes! And I’m right there with you!
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Okay, I don’t feel so bad now that I’ve only managed to post 7 times (including today’s post) this year. I’m really working towards sharing more and getting back into the community. Sowing and growing.
Thank you for sharing about gratitude, Bridget. It’s definitely a needed attitude in our world today, and necessary to draw close to God.
I hope to read more from you soon. ❤️
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Yes! We are in the same boat. 😂 We can cheer each other on as we try to be more consistent with our blogging… And I am trying to work on my gratitude too. It’s been a rough couple of years for my family. This has brought me down and I haven’t had the attitude that I should. But I’m so glad God doesn’t give up on us. 🥰
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