Thanksgiving Heart
By Agatha Caballero-Quinones
Thanksgiving becomes more than a feeling; it becomes a way of life—a daily decision, a spiritual anchor that grounds us when life tries to shake us loose. A woman who develops a thankful heart during worry, fear, and the demands of wearing many hats does not do so because her journey is free from hardship. In fact, she grows thankful because she has learned to recognize God’s steady presence in every season, especially the difficult ones.
Motherhood alone brings a multitude of concerns: caring for children, balancing identity, managing responsibilities, and navigating exhaustion. Imagine adding being a wife, an employee, a sister, a friend—and the list goes on. While unexpected pressures and fear can easily creep in, we must always remain in a posture of gratitude.
I purposely create journals, which is where I encourage others to write. Creating a habit of journaling is great, but when it has a prompt that forces you to write from a grateful state of mind first, it becomes even more important. That is the habit we want to create. Scripture encourages us, “Do not be anxious about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank Him for all He has done” (Philippians 4:6 MSG). Thanksgiving, even when whispered through tears, aligns our hearts with God’s truth rather than our worries.
A woman does not grow a thanksgiving heart in isolation. God designed community to be a place of spiritual nourishment, accountability, and healing. Faith-filled sisters speak life when doubt speaks louder. They pray when she feels too weary to form the words. They remind her that God has not forgotten her story. Scripture teaches, “Two are better than one… if either of them falls, one can help the other up” (Ecclesiastes 4:9–10).
I just recently had the privilege of being one of those sisters to a woman whose hope was down, heartache was heavy, and mind was on overload. While I can relate to all those feelings, God used me to speak life into her situation. The most rewarding feeling is knowing that you were able to show someone the love of Jesus through your actions. You see, community provides the strength to keep going and the reassurance that we are never walking alone. Sometimes God’s voice sounds like a friend on the other end of the phone.
As we move into this season of thanksgiving and end the year, many will forget what God has already done for them. Usually, it's because they are missing a loved one or this time reminds them of what they wish they had. There is nothing wrong with this; however, growing a thanksgiving heart requires faith—often the kind that cannot be seen. When circumstances look bleak, faith calls us to trust the unseen hand of God working behind the scenes. “We walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
This unseen faith strengthens a woman’s ability to keep praising even when her questions are bigger than her answers. Faith does not remove challenges, but it reframes them. It teaches a woman to see hardships as invitations to experience God’s faithfulness in deeper ways.
One of the greatest ways a woman protects her thanksgiving heart is by staying anchored in the Word of God. The Bible becomes her steady compass in seasons when emotions are unpredictable. Trust me—I know.
Visualize a heart—your heart—filling slowly with drops of God’s goodness. Each drop represents a moment of mercy, a testimony of grace, a prayer answered, a fear conquered, a burden lifted, a day survived. As God continues to pour into that heart, it begins to overflow—not with stress, not with fear, but with joy. Deep, soul-level joy that cannot be shaken.
This is what I hope this writing provides you—the reader—with: the encouragement to choose that deep-filled joy that only comes from the Lord. You see, His peace, love, and joy are always available to us no matter what we do, but we must decide to accept them. It really is a choice.
As I end this, I would like to invite you to write from a grateful posture today. A journal prompt is below, which I hope reminds you—no matter what things might look like right now—of what He has already done. Remember, if God did it before, He can and will do it again. Amen!
Journal Prompt:
What are three moments, big or small, where you saw God’s mercy or grace? How can you express gratitude for these moments and carry His joy into your day?
Praying for peace and joy to you who has read this blog.
