One of my favorite stories in the Bible is that of Hannah, Samuel’s mom (see I Samuel 1:1 – 2:10). Her gratitude for giving birth to Samuel after having been unable to have children has always been a reminder to me of what genuine and earnest gratitude looks like.
Hannah doesn’t just say, “Thank you, God, for giving me a child,” and move on. She instead goes on to give a long poem of deep gratitude. She says, “There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.” To me, it seems she realized that this wasn’t just about her but about God’s ever-presence and His all-power over everything around her.
I see Hannah’s obedience and gratitude as ways of serving God. It can be easy to think of serving God as needing to be a giant gesture or sacrifice, but I feel this is a very limited way of thinking about it. Gratitude is acknowledging that God is present and evident in our lives, and this is an effective way to serve Him.
It can seem simple to see gratitude as a way to give thanks for something specific we have received. I have come to understand, however, that gratitude is so powerful and transformative that it must go beyond us or our present circumstances. Gratitude must give us a clearer and more certain view of God and all of His creation.
One day, I felt quite ill and stayed in bed for several hours, unable to move much or to eat or pray for myself. I called a Christian Science practitioner to pray for me. I had seen healing results before from working with a practitioner. I was so hungry for inspiration and comfort, and I was so grateful that I felt both during our talk.
Before ending the call, the practitioner asked me to reach out to God for ways that I could serve Him. To be honest, I was perplexed. I thought to myself, “Serve God? Really? I can barely move! I need someone to be serving me, not the other way around!” However, I was obedient.
I wondered what I could do or share when I felt so helpless. After giving it some thought, I realized that I could at least give thanks. Though I had felt unable to pray for myself because of the physical discomfort, I was surprised that giving gratitude felt easy and natural. And it made sense that it was natural, because giving gratitude is about recognizing what is already true and good – recognizing what God gives us all as His beloved children.
I was thankful for God’s presence in my life. And I knew that I could have a deep conviction that God was with me always, caring for me and guiding me. God’s love does not waver, I realized; it isn’t as though He loves me one moment but forgets about me the next. His love is ever present, and I knew that I was surrounded by that love.
Within a short time, I was able to get up and go about my day, refreshed and much improved. I continued thanking God throughout the day, and soon all symptoms of illness left.
In “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” Mary Baker Eddy wrote, “Giving does not impoverish us in the service of our Maker, neither does withholding enrich us” (p. 79). In this instance, giving gratitude enriched me, not only because I experienced physical healing but because it taught me an important lesson.
It was this: Sickness can often feel all-consuming. But what gratitude does is help us look to God – expand our thoughts outward – and stay there. This enriches us because God helps us see our true, spiritual nature and wholeness – our perfection and the perfection of everything around us. When this perfection feels so real to us, we are able to see the nothingness and unreality of sickness, and healing takes place.
Gratitude doesn’t leave us where it finds us. It shows us the hugeness of God and of each of us as His beloved child. It helps us see the truth that we can’t be separated from His goodness. We see the higher, spiritual richness of God’s nature and, by reflection, our spiritual nature. I continue to make the commitment to serve God each day by giving gratitude, and it is a joy to do so.
Adapted from an article published in the Nov. 24, 2025, issue of the Christian Science Sentinel.
