In yesterday’s article we talked about the importance of letting gratitude fuel our wonder and worship. We hear all around us about the importance of gratitude, and yet we still struggle with it at times.

It is so easy to focus on our struggles and difficulties, the circumstances that we wish were different, how life feels unfair, and what we wish we had or were. All of these are distractions that take our eyes of God and who He is and what He has done for us. They cause us to become like spoiled children who are never content and really aren’t that pleasant to be around.

We don’t want to be that way, but it can be challenging to break the cycle at times. That’s for good reason. Jesus warned us in John 10:10 that “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” What a better way to steal our joy and the abundant life that Jesus offers than to distract us from who He is and how much He has done for us.

So here is your tip for today:

Find ways to remind yourself to be grateful.

Gratitude may not come naturally for you. It might even feel like a struggle or battle. So give yourself some tools. Try out some different types of reminders and find something to consistently prompt yourself to be grateful. Maybe that is a picture or sign you’ll see you wake up. It could be a post-it note on your mirror or refrigerator. Maybe it’s a recurring reminder alarm you set on your phone or starting a gratitude journal. It could be any of these or more. You might need to try a few things to see what works best for you, but allowing gratitude to become a habit will be well worth it.

So, what are some reminders you use to remind yourself to be grateful? Share in the comments.

Today’s tip comes from the Scripture passage we looked at in yesterday’s article, Luke 5:26. It said that “Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!”

They wondered at what God had done, but it didn’t end there. They immediately praised God. This week’s tip is very similar to last week’s, but it is definitely one that bears repeating:

When you see the wonder around you, celebrate it by praising God. 

Today’s tip is this:

Wonder should lead to worship.

When we see God working, that should fill us with awe and amazement and wonder. That wonder that we feel should be given back to God. Wonder at what He has done and is doing should make us realize just how worthy He is of our worship.

Our response to wonder should always be to worship God who made it possible. That might mean landing on our knees in prayer of humility, confession, praise or adoration. It might be worshipping Him with a song of praise. It might be worshipping through sharing our testimony of His work with others. There are numerous ways we can worship Him, but wonder should always lead to worship.

Easter is a busy season and it’s easy to find ourselves “getting through it” and ready to move on to the next event, emphasis, holiday, curriculum, series, or whatever is pulling our attention next. Here’s a really quick, probably obvious tip, but one we probably all need to be reminded of too:

Don’t lose sight of the Wonder of Easter just because Easter is over.

The wonder that we see in Christ’s death, burial and resurrection is what it is all about. It’s why we do what we do. It’s what makes us who we are.

Don’t move on from the wonder of Easter, but carry it with you.