We always have a Tariro family retreat every last Saturday of August and so, this year it fell on the 26th. This is the day dedicated to discuss a new theme for the next Tariro year which begins every September. This year, we decided to continue with our last year’s one: Attitude of Gratitude because there is a lot we did not cover. We are determined to exhaust this important topic.
Firstly, we conducted a praise and worship session to formally welcome the Holy Spirit. Following that, we had an opportunity to discuss scriptural ideas related to our theme, Attitude of Gratitude. We then exchanged testimonies.
Each person was able to contribute a verse from the bible that related to the topic. We then took time to reflect on who we are and how amazing our God is and gave Him thanks and praise. Some of the verses were taken from Luke 12:48, Psalm 107, Ezra 3:11, and 1 Thessalonians 5:18.
The Basic Habits of Gratitude
The secret of happiness is to count your blessings while others are adding up their trouble. — William Penn
As we read God’s Word, we can see the theme of being thankful. There are hundreds of verses telling us to give thanks or offer praise to God. Outside of the Bible, you’ll find lots of articles and research stating the benefits that come with being a grateful person. People who are thankful are known to be depressed less, get better grades in school, sleep better, stay healthy, have deeper friendships, and have a brighter outlook on life. Basically, gratitude is good for you!
In 1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV, the Apostle Paul wrote, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” Living as grateful people is God’s will for our lives. God knew before the beginning of time how positively gratitude would affect us—long before an article or book was written about the topic. So, whether your life is moving along smoothly, or it feels like you’re walking in quicksand, consider adding these daily habits to your life:
- Create new pathways. Dr. Caroline Leaf, cognitive neuroscientist, and author, said, “As you think, you change the structure of your brain.” This isn’t easy. But we have a choice in what we think about, so let’s allow thoughts of gratefulness to fill our minds.
- Choose five things. Make a daily habit to say or write five things you’re thankful for. You can do it any time of the day—morning or night!
- Set a gratitude alarm. Choose different times in the day. When the alarm goes off, ask God to bring to mind the blessings and gifts in your life and thank Him for them.
- Tell someone. Every day, talk to someone about what you’re thankful for. Maybe it’s their friendship, the sunrise, a powerful moment with God, or an unexpected blessing you received. Saying it makes it more real.
It’s vital that we make our gratitude habitual so that when life’s storms come upon us, we know how to navigate the rough waters. And part of this is trusting God and even choosing to be grateful when we don’t understand the world around us.
As we build this gratitude muscle, it won’t be something we have to think about—it’ll become as natural as breathing: we all promised to practice throughout 2023/2024 Tariro year !
Below are pictures for the family sharing and presenting scriptures about the “ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE” , singing praise and worship songs as well as praying and meditating .
