Gratitude with Heart and Hope

By: Ezequiel Cruz-Gutiérrez

Gratitude is one of the most profound and transformative virtues within the human experience. It is not merely a seasonal gesture or fleeting emotion, but a way of seeing, interpreting, and responding to life. Both the Christian tradition and contemporary psychology view gratitude as essential for well-being, spiritual maturity, and communal health. In this blog, I integrate biblical, theological, psychological, and personal perspectives to explore how gratitude can become a path toward healing, meaning, and spiritual formation.

1. Gratitude as a Virtue of Character

Gratitude can be understood as a virtue of character that recognizes and expresses the blessings present in our lives, cultivating a posture of thankfulness toward God and others. Pohl (2011) states that gratitude is the “heartbeat” of a life transformed by divine grace. Gratitude is not based on ideal conditions, but on recognizing that everything received points to God’s presence, provision, and faithfulness.

From the lens of positive psychology, gratitude is considered a character strength strongly associated with happiness, subjective well-being, hope, optimism, vitality, positive affect, and prosocial behavior (Peterson & Seligman, 2004; Van Cappellen et al., 2024). When practiced regularly, gratitude helps reinterpret past and present experiences, giving them deeper meaning. Thus, gratitude is not merely an emotional state but a life orientation that integrates spiritual, cognitive, and emotional identity.

2. Giving Thanks in Every Circumstance

Scripture provides a strong foundation for understanding gratitude as a continuous discipline. In 1 Thessalonians 5:18, Paul exhorts: “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” This invitation does not imply denying pain or romanticizing suffering but aligning the heart with the confidence that God is continually at work in our lives. Also, James 1:3–5 teaches that trials produce perseverance and spiritual maturity, and Romans 8:28 affirms that God works all things together for good, even those that wound us. Finally, the psalmist declares that God’s presence is the place where there is “fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11). These biblical teachings present gratitude as a spiritual act that recognizes God as the source of meaning and hope.

3. Gratitude that does not Deny Pain

Pohl (2011) emphasizes a truth: “living gratefully is not the same as denying the misery or evil around us” (p. 26). Authentic gratitude does not demand ignoring suffering or covering it with spiritual bypassing. Rather, it creates space to integrate pain into a larger story where God’s faithfulness sustains us even when reality is heavy and heartbreaking. I believe that gratitude is not only expressed through joyful moments, but also through those that, although dark, produced perseverance and character. Gratitude does not magically turn sadness into happiness, but it does offer a pathway.

4. Gratitude as a Positive Emotion

Chapter 20 of the Handbook of Positive Psychology, Religion, and Spirituality, written by Van Cappellen et al. (2024), provides a scientific insight. Positive emotions (including gratitude) serve a profound psychological function: they broaden attention, increase cognitive flexibility, and build long-term psychological resources. These emotions offer more than immediate well-being; they generate resilience, cognitive strength, social connection, and sustained spiritual meaning.

The authors explain that in religious and spiritual contexts, gratitude not only broadens cognition but also strengthens one’s relationship with God, deepens spiritual experience, and enhances one’s sense of purpose. This becomes a virtuous cycle: gratitude opens the heart, spirituality sustains that openness, and together they nurture flourishing.

5. Gratitude as a Communal Virtue

Gratitude not only transforms individuals, but it also transforms communities. Pohl (2011) warns that when attention centers on scarcity or idealized expectations, a “culture of complaint” emerges that damages the communal fabric (pp. 18–21). When practiced collectively, gratitude strengthens relationships, fosters mutual recognition, and cultivates environments where grace becomes visible. Similarly, Van Cappellen et al. (2024) demonstrate that positive emotions within religious communities foster social cohesion, openness, group resilience, and mutual support.

6. Daily Practices of Gratitude

Adele Calhoun (2015) presents gratitude as a spiritual discipline embodied in simple yet deeply formative actions. These practices become spaces where the heart is reoriented and retrained. From the perspective of positive psychology, such interventions promote flourishing, strengthen emotional regulation, and expand internal psychological resources (Davis et al., 2024). Here are several key practices that integrate spirituality, psychology, and character formation:

• Keep a gratitude journal, noting daily evidence of God’s goodness.

• End the day with a specific prayer of gratitude, naming at least one area where grace was evident.

• Write letters of gratitude to people who have been instruments of blessing or spiritual formation.

• Practice contemplative pauses throughout the day to recognize God’s presence, even in the ordinary or difficult.

• Intentionally refrain from comparisons, especially during vulnerable moments, as a discipline of humility and contentment.

• Actively seek God’s presence in suffering by asking, “Where are You in this, God?” allowing gratitude to accompany your processing of pain.

An Invitation to Live with Gratitude

Gratitude is not avoidance, nor does it deny pain or trivialize loss. It is a discipline that interprets life through grace, constructs meaning in the midst of suffering, strengthens relationships, and opens the heart to God’s work. It is both a spiritual virtue and a psychological process that expands and sustains the human capacity to love, hope, and persevere.

I return to a simple prayer that remains deeply relevant today: “We pray giving thanks for the joyful moments and the not-so-joyful ones, for in His presence there is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11). Gratitude is a spiritual decision, a discipline of the heart, and a communal practice. And when lived fully, it transforms individuals, families, and entire communities.

References

Calhoun, A. A. (2015). Spiritual disciplines handbook: Practices that transform us (2nd ed.). InterVarsity Press.

New International Version. (2011). The Holy Bible. Biblica.

Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. P. (2004). Character strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification. American Psychological Association & Oxford University Press.

Pohl, C. D. (2011). Living into community: Cultivating practices that sustain us. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing.

Van Cappellen, P., Zhang, R., & Fredrickson, B. L. (2024). The scientific study of positive emotions and religion/spirituality. In E. B. Davis, E. L. Worthington, Jr., & S. A. Schnitker (Eds.), Handbook of positive psychology, religion, and spirituality (pp. 315–328). Springer.