Like most people, not everything in life is sunshine and daisies. I experience cloudy, rainy days with no flowers. Whether grief, normal life problems, or just having a bad day... I have to make the active choice of being grateful.
Gratitude is a crucial topic in both the religious and secular world. It is said that there are a lot of health benefits to being grateful, and we also know that there are many heart benefits to being grateful.
Gratitude in the Secular World
First, let's look at what the world of psychology says about the benefits of being grateful. Gratitude isn't considered to be an emotion. Unlike anger or happiness, there is not an automatic facial expression or somatic response when someone is feeling grateful. Google defines gratitude as, "the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness". Gratitude forces a person to consider the actions and thoughts of others. When someone is grateful, they are choosing to feel positive emotions because of the actions of others. One author, John Ortberg, says this about gratitude, “Gratitude is the ability to experience life as a gift. It liberates us from the prison of self-preoccupation.”
One article categorized the health benefits of gratitude being social, psychology, and physical. (article here) Gratitude helps a person socially by developing their empathy and improving their communication skills. Psychologically, gratitude increases a person's satisfaction, improves their mood, and cultivates positive emotions and thoughts. Physically, gratitude can boost your immune system, improve your sleep, and improve your blood pressure and cardiac functioning. Some describe gratitude as being a natural antidepressant because when it is expressed, dopamine and serotonin are released.
Gratitude & Christianity
The attitude of thankfulness is very prominent in the Bible. There are many passages that talk about giving thanks to God.
Old Testament
Biblically, thankfulness and praise share the same word in Hebrew.
Multiple times in the Psalms and in 1 Chronicles 16:34 it says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever.”
Psalms 95:2-4 says, "Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him."
The passages mentioned each talk about the nature of God and how His nature is what leads us to be grateful. We can be grateful because God is good. We can be grateful because His love endures forever. We can be grateful because He is a great God.
New Testament
In the New Testament, the main word for gratitude is the Greek word, eucharisteō. The word describes the verb of being grateful or giving thanks.
Colossians 3:17 says, "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus."
Similarly to the Old Testament, we are called to be thankful in response to the character of God.
1 Thessalonians talks about how believers can strive toward holy living. This is done through rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks. But, this oversimplifies the message of the verse. It really says that rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks are things that need to happen all the time. We are told to rejoice ALWAYS... pray CONTINUALLY... and give thanks IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES. No matter the circumstance, we are called to be grateful. We are not told to be grateful on the days that we can see the sunshine, but even on the days where all we can see are the storm clouds.
These aren't things that just happen once, but something that continues on consistently during our sanctification. Not just cause, but because it is God's will for us. There is more to God's will, but we know a part of his design for believers. This gives us hope when we realize that rejoicing, praying, and being grateful are such crucial parts to being a follower of Jesus.
Gratitude in My Story
As I have mentioned in my other posts, gratitude has been an important exercise for me. The more I have grown as a believer, the more I have been able to recognize the ways I can be grateful for the work of God in my life. As I learn about the nature of God, I have seen the grace of God in my life. His grace is how I have received more than what I deserved. Knowing the magnitude of His grace only increases my gratitude for Him.
This gratitude then spills into the other areas of my life. I have been able to practice gratitude even when things feel difficult (in all circumstances).
Even when I am missing my mom, I can be grateful for the time I had with her and the ways our church body has come alongside us during grief.
On difficult days, I can choose to see Jesus in the little moments.
Really, at gratitude is making the active choice to see how Jesus is at work (it is not all about me!). I can look for the things that remind me of Jesus and look for things that are glorifying to God.
Whether that is going to the pumpkin patch with coworkers, missing my mom, going to the gym, having difficulties at work, or doing my Bible study... gratitude is making the choice to see what God is doing and thanking for His work, even if I do not understand.
I can trust His character and be grateful for His work in my life.
