Echoes of Joy: A Thankful Heart

By Staci Mauney

In Echoes of Joy: A Thankful Heart, author Staci Mauney explores the benefits of gratitude and ways we can express thanksgiving to God. In this 30-day devotional, Staci shares stories about Lilly, her Yorkie companion, and her family and friends. She connects everyday life to spiritual truths and lessons about being thankful during hard times, cultivating a grateful attitude, and giving thanks for blessings both big and small. Each devotional entry contains a Bible verse and prayer.

By focusing on gratitude, you will be encouraged in your walk with Jesus Christ. Let the messages in this devotional move you into God’s presence with a heart full of thanksgiving.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Staci Mauney
• Release date: May 12, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005674298

Staci Mauney

Staci Mauney is a freelance writer and editor and indie author. She is the co-owner of Prestige Prose, a freelance writing and editing company found at prestigeprose.com As an author, she has written four devotionals in the Echoes of Joy series: Echoes of Joy: 30 Days of Experiencing God’s Grace, Echoes of Joy: A Daily Devotional for Christmas, Echoes of Joy: Growing Closer to God, and Echoall of which can be found on her website at stacimauney.com. Her Yorkshire terrier, Lilly, is the main character in her devotionals and her blog, which can also be found on her website. She has had short stories published in Chicken Soup for the Shopper’s Soul; Owl Hootings, Vol. II; Oklahoma: The Fountain of the Heartland; and the OWFI Report and has worked as a content writer for Oklahoma Farm and Ranch magazine. Staci volunteers for a variety of organizations in her local community. She has been a member of the Oklahoma Writers’ Federation, Inc. (OWFI) since 2007 and is an OWFI board member.

Book preview

Over and over again, we are instructed in Scripture to be thankful. A quick search of Bible Gateway produces 133 results for thank split almost evenly between the Old (61 results) and New (72 results) Testaments.

After writing four devotionals in the Echoes of Joy series, I thought I was done. But God had other plans, and I couldn’t get the idea of a devotional about gratitude out of my mind. I researched the topic and compiled a list of topic ideas. The result is this devotional.

Much research has been conducted in recent years about the benefits of gratitude on our mental and physical health. Gratitude can build strong relationships and help us appreciate good experiences even more.

Why is expressing thanksgiving important? Because it allows us to grow as Christians and draws us closer to God. It changes our attitudes and our focus.

We live in an entitled culture, and expressing gratitude sets us apart from the world around us. Instead of demanding more, we’re grateful for what God has given us.

When you read the stories in this devotional and how thanksgiving has manifested in my life, I hope you will be encouraged. As you strive to grow in your own life, I hope these messages inspire you. Listen for God’s voice; he will speak to you along this journey. Won’t you take a few moments to slow down, read an entry, and hear him speak today?

Day 1

Overlooking Thanksgiving

"And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." (Col. 3:14–15)

The holiday season seems to get busier each year. With Thanksgiving sandwiched between Halloween and Christmas, we rush past it as we go from buying candy and costumes to baking goodies and trimming the tree. We squeeze in Thanksgiving dinner so that we can move on to Black Friday shopping and the bigger celebration of Christmas.

We often forget how much we have to be thankful for because we are already looking past the turkey and trimmings and shopping for the perfect present for our kids, practicing for the Christmas program, and making candy to give to the neighbors.

It’s important to slow down and thank God for the blessings of abundance he has given us. In the past, we’ve taken for granted the ease of traveling long distances to see family, of large gatherings in one place, and of purchasing all our food staples at once. If the COVID-19 global pandemic has shown us anything, it’s how precious these things are and how quickly they can be stripped away.

When we sit down with our families to eat, we soak in the gift of gathering and give thanks that the grocery store had the items we needed. Whether we travel across town or across the country, we express our gratitude at having the means and opportunity to make such a trip with family awaiting our arrival. As the kids fuss and play while the adults catch up on the latest news, we thank the Lord for the blessing of family—those who get along and those who don’t—and try to put aside grudges for the day.

With the Lord’s help, we focus on today’s blessings and not neglect giving thanks.

Dear Jesus, thank you for the things we’ve taken for granted—traveling, gathering with family, and having plenty of food on the table. Show us what’s important for this moment. Amen.

Day 2

Being Thankful in Hard Times

"Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word. You are good, and what you do is good; teach me your decrees." (Ps. 119:67)

Thanksgiving fell just a few weeks after my ex-husband asked for a divorce. I kept thinking he was going through a phase and would come back soon. Unfortunately, not accepting the situation only extended my grieving period. I thought if we spent Thanksgiving together, he would change his mind. I invited him to dinner, and he politely declined. (We were almost always polite to each other during those difficult days.) It was my first inkling that our marriage might not be restored.

That year, Thanksgiving felt surreal. I was still