As children of God, we have a lot to be thankful for. Most importantly, we have been saved by God's grace and have been forgiven of our sins. God has blessed us with the fruits of the Spirit and reveals Himself to us in wonderful ways. We can be grateful that we have a God who loves us and is always there whenever we need Him.

It's pretty easy to find ways to show gratitude to people who do nice things for us. Other than using words to say "thank you," we can use our actions as well. Helping out with chores in the home is a good way to show appreciation to our parents. Sometimes I might take my best friend out for lunch to show how much I appreciate her as a friend. Buying gifts is often done to say thanks too, but how can we show our thankfulness to God?

God deserves more thanks than anyone because He has done more for us than anyone else could ever do. So to start, we must begin realizing that everything is a gift; "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows" (James 1:17).

We can show thanks to God by remembering Him in our thoughts, words, and actions. Meditating on His words or His holiness will keep our thoughts positive, and remembering Him through our words and actions will demonstrate our love for Him to the world. If we recognize God's hand in our lives and in the world around us, we are showing Him gratitude. Look at all the blessings that are in your life, from small blessings to great blessings, and know that those blessings came from the Father.

If we want to show our thanks to God, another way to do that is by serving others. Jesus was a servant to the poor, broken, helpless, and weary. As His followers, we are to follow His leading and serve those who are in need. By serving other people and loving them, we are demonstrating love for Christ. Thanksgiving to God can be spoken through prayer. Everyone likes to hear praise for things they have done, and that includes God. The last important way we can show thanks to God is by obeying His commands. God's word says in John, "If you love me, obey my commands." Our obedience will demonstrate our gratitude.

So when things are going wrong and your day isn't very bright, take time to thank God for all He has done in your life through prayer and with your words, actions, and thoughts.

Sarah Smith grew up in Oklahoma and graduated from the University of Central Oklahoma with an English degree. She loves being a child of God and serving in missions. She has gone on trips to Germany and London and served a recent term of five and half months in London as a missionary intern. She recently applied to seminary and is looking forward to attending Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary where she will study Christian Counseling.