For gratitude

This plan is for changing the lens of the day. Nothing here orders you to feel what you do not feel: the passages show people giving thanks in prison, in abundance and in the middle of quick instructions for life in community.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 is one of three short sentences in a row, «rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances», and the command is «in» everything, not «for» everything. Colossians 3:15 asks that the peace of Christ rule the heart and adds, almost in passing, «and be thankful». Philippians 4:11 is from the same Paul who wrote from prison: he says he has learned to be content in any situation, and the verb «learned» carries weight. Psalm 100 carries in its title the idea of thanksgiving, and verse 4 invites entering the temple gates with thanks. Psalm 107:1 opens with «give thanks to the Lord, for he is good», and the whole psalm tells stories of people who went through trouble and were brought out of it. James 1:17 closes the plan by recalling that every good gift comes from above.

Read one passage a day and write down one concrete thing you received that day, however small. In six days you will have six entries, and the plan can be redone whenever you like.