Is gratitude a thing of the moment for you? It’s something you feel occasionally when things are right — or enough right — that it pleases you?

Is gratitude most often a response to pleasant stimuli? “Isn’t the moon beautiful tonight!” “I really enjoyed that meal/game/movie.” “We made it on time, after all.”

Also, is gratitude ephemeral – fading after the moment has passed? There’s that moment that you realized that the headache you had is now gone, but are you still grateful an hour later?

In contrast, what would it mean to ‘practice’ gratitude? ‘Practice’ could mean ‘rehearse,’ where you cover the material or actions ahead of time so that you are ready when the moment is right. For instance, actors and musicians practice their parts for the musical. Likewise, Christians could rehearse the goodness of God ahead of time, like memorizing scripture. (Many folks my age memorized the KJV of Psalm 100.) You can pull out a scripture anytime the moment is ripe. You know it; you’ve practiced it. What have you practiced in this way?

There is another meaning of practice – like putting what you’ve learned into practice, even extending it into a whole career, like a medical practice or the practice of law. That’s closer to the admonitions of Philippians 4:4-9. What gladness, gentleness, peace, excellence, and the like have you practiced?

What could you start doing this very week (not just on Thursday), that could lead to a lifetime of gratitude?

As always, I would really love to get your comments or questions — ahead of time or afterwards. Just click here.