Sacred Spaces, Gratitude, and the Glory of God
Written by Anne Johnson - 23 November, 2025
Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays, not because of gifts or decorations, but because of what we exchange on this day: gratitude. When we allow gratitude to settle into our hearts, it becomes a sacred offering to God. It is one of the purest ways we show Him that we love Him, trust Him, and recognize His hand in the details of our lives.
Scripture teaches that gratitude is more than polite acknowledgment, it is a spiritual discipline that opens the heavens. “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). The Savior Himself modeled gratitude repeatedly. He blessed the loaves and fishes, thanked the Father before raising Lazarus, and expressed gratitude even amid suffering. Gratitude aligns our hearts with His.
A Simple Garage, a Sacred Moment
This week, I felt that power in an unexpected place…my garage.
With my husband deployed with the U.S. Army and winter approaching, my children and I cleaned out our garage and held a small yard sale to prepare for the months ahead. Normally, my husband is the one clearing snow, maintaining the cars, and braving the cold. But this year would be different. Preparing the garage became an act of stewardship, strength, and quiet determination.
A few mornings later, I stepped into the garage to grab a tool and was overcome.
The clean, organized, peaceful space washed over me like a tender mercy. Gratitude flooded my heart so quickly that I found myself on my knees on the cold cement floor, tears falling, thanking Heavenly Father. In that moment, I felt Him whisper to my spirit that this was more than a garage. It was a sacred space; a place where His Spirit could dwell because my heart was full of gratitude.
Sacred Spaces Are Everywhere God Is Invited
The Book of Mormon teaches that “in nothing doth man offend God… save those who confess not his hand in all things” (Doctrine & Covenants 59:21; echoed throughout the scriptures). When we acknowledge His hand, the ordinary becomes holy. Our homes, like the tabernacle of old, become places where God’s presence is felt because we invite Him there.
Alma taught that we can worship God “in your fields, yea, and in your houses, yea, and in your closets” (Alma 34:26). I’ve learned that He also meets us in garages, if gratitude prepares the way.
My home isn’t just a building. It is a sacred space, dedicated and blessed. It is where I feel God’s love in quiet moments, where my ward family supports me, where ministering friends show up with Christlike care, and where my children learn to pray and seek the Spirit. And now, even my garage has become one of those holy places.
Gratitude Invites His Glory
The Spirit reminded me that gratitude is not just a feeling, it is a conduit for God’s glory. When we choose gratitude, especially in seasons of hardship or loneliness, heaven responds. As the Psalms declare, “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me” (Psalm 50:23). Gratitude lifts our eyes from what is missing to what God has already provided.
In the Book of Mormon, the people of Alma rejoiced and gave thanks even in their trials, and the Lord “did strengthen them” and “visit them in their afflictions” (Mosiah 24:14–15). Their gratitude did not remove their challenges, but it transformed their experience of them and ultimately, their deliverance.
I felt a piece of that deliverance on my garage floor; heaven rushing in to meet a simple prayer of thanks.
A Thanksgiving Filled With the Spirit of God
This week, we will welcome the missionaries and the friends they are teaching into our home for Thanksgiving. My heart is full knowing that they, too, will feel the Spirit in this sacred space. Gratitude prepares hearts. It softens, heals, and connects us to God and to one another.
Thanksgiving is not merely a holiday; it is a holy practice. When we live with gratitude, we invite God into our homes, our relationships, and even our garages. And when we invite Him in, everything becomes holier.
May we open our hearts this season and every day, offering Him the gratitude that glorifies His name.