Cultivating a grateful heart can transform your homemaking. Find biblical encouragement for recognizing God’s goodness in motherhood, marriage, and everyday life, even in difficult seasons.
I’ve been noticing something in content lately. There’s a heavy sense of doom and gloom, mixed with a sprinkle of deep entitlement. And if I’m honest, I think we all probably struggle with this to some degree because we live in a very materialistic world. I know I do.
Think about the messages we hear every day. We need the right school supplies so our children don’t feel left out. We need a beautifully decorated home for the holidays. We need the newest kitchen gadget, the perfect homeschool room, the organized pantry, and the family traditions that look wonderful on social media. And when life doesn’t look like the pictures we’re seeing, it’s easy to feel as though we’re somehow missing out.
There was interesting research done for the 2026 Back to School shopping season, and although parents were cutting back by an average of about $130, about 25% said it was due to the rising cost of living. I found that fascinating, as we certainly cut back our spending on Back to School this year. The article went on to say that parents also felt pressure to keep up with what other parents were doing for their kids, even to the point that 24% said they were willing to take on debt to be able to respond to these pressures.
Meanwhile, we scroll through our feeds and see one person complaining about the state of the world, another lamenting how difficult motherhood has become, and someone else sharing all the things they wish they could afford. Some of these concerns are entirely legitimate. Life really is expensive, motherhood really can be exhausting, and there are difficult things happening in our world. But I wonder whether, somewhere along the way, we’ve become so accustomed to noticing what’s wrong that we’ve forgotten to notice what’s good.
For many of us, the Thanksgiving season is approaching. As we enter this season of thanksgiving, I want to ask a question: What if you have more to be thankful for than you realize?
“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits” Psalm 103:2 (ESV).
We need to remember. We need to remind our own hearts of the goodness of God, especially when the world around us seems determined to tell us that nothing is ever enough.
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Learning to See God’s Goodness in an Imperfect Life
“That wonderful and unparalleled grace of God which is manifested in the work of redemption, and shines forth in the face of Jesus Christ, is infinitely glorious in itself.” — Jonathan Edwards, Religious Affections, Part III, Section I
I’m not naturally someone who always has a thankful heart. Often, the things I write and talk about are the very things I need to preach to myself. I can become so focused on what hasn’t worked out that I overlook the good things God has placed right in front of me.
Take our homestead, for example. We have forty acres, chickens, ducks, geese, and gardens that, on the production side of things, were a complete failure this year. The year has been disorganized, and life has stretched my capacity. Our gardens have had their fair share of failures. It wasn’t the productive, beautiful homesteading year I always imagine and rarely see. But that’s okay. We got some good eating veggies, and we got a few barrels of potatoes. Some years that’s good enough. We’re learning, we’re growing, and next spring gives us another opportunity to try again.
I’m learning that I can be grateful for a garden that failed without pretending it didn’t disappoint me. I can enjoy our animals and the life we’re building without having everything organized. A spirit of gratitude doesn’t require a perfect outcome. It asks me to recognize the gifts I’ve been given and trust God’s plan for the seasons ahead.
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This year, I’m also especially grateful for my husband. Dan was gone for three months, and that was a challenging season for our family. His absence affected our daily life in significant ways. Yet I’m thankful to see the hard work he’s putting into himself and into building real relationships with our sons. Those relationships are precious, and I’m grateful for the effort he’s making to nurture them.
Gratitude doesn’t erase the difficult parts of our story. It helps us see that the difficult parts aren’t the whole story.
“Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” Psalm 107:1
Our circumstances change, our plans fail, and our lives rarely unfold exactly as we expect. But the steadfast love of God remains.
Friend, perhaps your year hasn’t gone according to plan either. Maybe you’ve faced disappointment, financial pressure, family struggles, or a home that never seems to stay clean. You don’t need to manufacture happiness or pretend everything is wonderful. The first step toward a heart of gratitude may simply be to stop, look around, and recognize one small thing that is still good.
Maybe you really don’t have the capacity to see goodness today. Let’s talk a pause to reflect on the gospel.
The goodness of God is not measured by how smoothly our lives unfold, but by who He has revealed Himself to be. We see His goodness most clearly at the cross, where He did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us, even while we were still sinners.
Through the sacrifice of Christ Jesus, God has given us the greatest gift we could ever receive: forgiveness, reconciliation with Himself, and the promise of eternal life. When we begin to understand the depth of our sin and the even greater depth of God’s grace, gratitude becomes more than a response to pleasant circumstances; it becomes a response to our redemption.
We can thank Him in an imperfect life because our greatest need has already been met in Christ. The failed garden, the difficult season, and the unfinished work of motherhood do not diminish His goodness. Our hope rests not in receiving everything we desire, but in belonging to the God who has given us Christ and promises never to forsake His people.
As we turn our eyes toward Jesus, the Holy Spirit teaches us to recognize God’s daily mercies with humble, thankful hearts—not because life is always easy, but because the God who loved us enough to send His Son is faithful, even here.
If you’re looking for more encouragement for the everyday work of home and family, I’d love to invite you to join me at The Healing Home Letter on Substack. It’s where I share personal reflections from our home, encouragement for Christian homemakers, and reminders to recognize God’s goodness in ordinary life. You can find the link in the description.
Remembering the Good Gifts in Our Everyday Lives
One of the greatest good gifts in my life is also one of the most demanding: my five boys.
Homeschooling them is a privilege, but that doesn’t mean every day is peaceful. Sometimes lessons go beautifully, and other times we’re working through frustration, distractions, and the ordinary chaos of a house full of boys. There are days when I feel stretched thin and wonder how I’m going to accomplish everything that needs to be done.
Yet these boys are gifts from God. I am grateful for the opportunity to teach them, watch them grow, and help shape their minds and hearts. I’m grateful for the ordinary moments around our table, the lessons learned, and the little glimpses of their personalities that make me smile. Most of all, I’m grateful that the Lord continues to sustain me in this work, even when I feel incapable of doing it well.
“Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward” Psalm 127:3 (ESV).
I need to remember all of this when the noise in the house rises, and the work feels endless. The children who sometimes interrupt my plans are part of the very life I’ve been entrusted to nurture.
As we head into the holidays, I want to encourage you to look at your own life with fresh eyes. What blessings have become so familiar that you’ve stopped noticing them? Perhaps it’s the food on your table, the husband working beside you, the children gathered in your home, or simply the opportunity to wake up and begin another day.
“Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them” Psalm 111:2 (ESV).
Sometimes, we need to slow down enough to study His works. We need to notice the changing leaves outside the window, the baby chickens scratching in the yard, or our children learning something new during a homeschool lesson.
These may seem like small things, but they’re part of the fabric of our lives. And when we begin to recognize them as gifts from God, gratitude becomes more than a feeling, which, afterall we don’t always feel! It becomes a simple practice of remembering who He is and expressing thanks for His provision.
This doesn’t mean we ignore hard times or stop working toward improvement. We can plan a better garden for next spring, work on our relationships, and continue growing in our calling while remaining grateful for what God has provided today.
Culativating a Grateful Heart
As we enter the month of November, I want to encourage you to pause before Thanksgiving gives way to the rush of Christmas. Before the shopping lists, holiday expectations, and endless to-do lists fill our attention, take a moment to remember God’s goodness.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 100:4–5 ESV
You don’t need a perfect home, a successful garden, or a trouble-free family to find gratitude. You can express gratitude in the middle of unfinished work, difficult circumstances, and ordinary days that seem to blur together. You can acknowledge what is hard while remembering the good gifts God has placed in your care.
So, friend, what if you have more to be thankful for than you realize?
Take a moment today to name a few blessings. Thank God for the people He has placed in your life, the strength He provides, and His faithfulness through every season. May we become women who notice His goodness, cultivate a heart of thankfulness, and enter this holiday season with eyes fixed on the Giver rather than constantly longing for something more.
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