Gratitude
He leads me …
What Is Gratitude?
Gratitude is described as a spontaneous emotion which occurs when we realise how fortunate we are or when something positive occurs. For example we can be grateful that in New Zealand we do not have the serious problems other countries are having with COVID 19. We can also be grateful that relatively speaking New Zealand is a safer country to live in than a lot of others.
But just how spontaneous is gratitude? For a lot of us it is not really spontaneous at all. With the pressures of daily life, as well as the endless negativity in the news and around us generally, there does not seem to be much to inspire gratitude in our lives.
Psychology Today New Zealand[1] says that even if we are not experiencing gratitude in a spontaneous way, we would benefit if we were to learn to take some time to consider what we can be grateful for. If we do, we find that there are important social and personal improvements that can be gained.
Psychologists have found that with practice, the feeling of being grateful promotes better physical and mental health. People who are grateful feel less pain, are more relaxed, sleep better, have healthier immune systems, better relationships, and are more competent in the areas of education and at work.
Studies have found that grateful people are less likely to have mental health problems like depression, anxiety and fatigue, which are major problems in society today.
So how do we develop our attitude of gratitude?
Psychologists suggest keeping a journal where notes can be kept of both the big and small pleasures of daily life. Perhaps we can ask ourselves the following questions –
1. What three things that have gone well for us? What caused them?
2. What are five physical blessings we are thankful for in our life? Like family and friends, a job that pays the bills, and a house to live in.
3. What are five spiritual blessings we are thankful for in our life? Like what the Lord has done for us and in us, and the beauty and wonder of His creation.
4. What are three trials we have experienced, which in the end produced a blessing?
5. Who are the people who have inspired us, and what is it about them that is the most meaningful?
6. What would our life be like if some positive event had not occurred?
This is what psychologists tell us based on ongoing studies of human behaviour along with the biological support for their findings. One such discovery is that gratitude helps us to regulate the stress hormone cortisol. If we keep our cortisol levels balanced, our cardiac function improves when we are under stress which in turn increases our ability to stay mentally balanced.
As Christians we know that the science and reasoning used by psychologists works because God enabled it to happen. So what does He have to say about gratitude?
Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT)
We are encouraged to give thanks in everything - even those difficult times, knowing that His grace is sufficient for those that are in Christ Jesus.
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever. Psalm 136:1-3 (NLT)
This verse is calling us into thoughtful, grateful worship, expressing what we know, or have found of God’s glory and His deeds. (Kidner[2])
Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honourable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Philippians 4:6-8 (NLT)
The NKJV version of this scripture starts - Be anxious for nothing. Simple requests of God, gratitude, and a positive attitude are antidotes for anxiety. The Apostle Paul says that there is no need to fret and worry about the way things are. The solution is to give the problems over to the Only One who can actually do something about them. The Philippians were told to pray in every situation, bringing their requests to God and offering prayers of thanksgiving for what God has already done.
Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. Matthew 5:8 (NKJV)
You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world. Matthew 5:8 (MSG)
We should try and release negativity and open up to gratitude. We know that it is our heart God is looking at; not just what we do. He is not content with anything less — and as His disciples we should be not be either.
[1] https://www.psychologytoday.com/nz/basics/gratitude#what-is-gratitude
5 Surprising Ways Gratitude Improves Your Health, Evan Parks Psy.D.- Pain Rehabilitation https://www.psychologytoday.com/nz/blog/pain-rehabilitation/202101/5-surprising-ways-gratitude-improves-your-health
Evan Parks, Psy.D., is a clinical psychologist at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital and an adjunct assistant professor at Michigan State University College of Human Medicine. He is the host of the Pain Rehab podcast
[2] Derek Kidner wrote commentaries on the books of Genesis, Ezra–Nehemiah, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Jeremiah, and Hosea, the most popular of which were published in the Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries and The Bible Speaks Today series.
