Prepare yourself.
The month of November seems to be the time of year when our culture begins to comprehend the power and necessity of gratitude. Over the next several weeks, we’re going to be provided with what can be an overwhelming amount of ads, stories, and blog posts inviting us to be thankful or to practice gratitude.
And, as fast as those voices, talking about giving thanks, roll into our lives, they also roll out, and culture moves on to the next message, the next theme.
The Bible Calls for Year-Round, Not Seasonal, Gratitude
However, in Scripture, we see a year-round, life-long call to this practice, not merely a seasonal experience.
From the Old Testament to the New Testament, we see consistent counsel to give thanks to God.
In 1 Chronicles 16:34, we read David’s calling for gratitude in light of God’s character. “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.”
In 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, Paul defines gratitude as the will of God for all of us. “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
Paul calls us to thanksgiving in everything we do in Colossians 3:17. “And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”
For me, though, one of the most exciting developments in recent years has been the scientific research around gratitude. What God has always called His creation to do, science has documented the impact of in explicit detail.
The Science Behind The Power of Gratitude
Did you know gratitude and stress cannot co-exist? A 2009 National Institutes of Health study showed that the hypothalamus lights up when we practice gratitude. This means gratitude and stress take place in the same area of the brain, where one forces out the other. While stress floods the brain and body with cortisol, gratitude floods the body with dopamine - the same chemical you feel when you have a long embrace with someone you love.
Gratitude changes - literally change the rhythm of your heart. The Institute of Heart Math determined that a state of gratitude improved the heart’s rhythmic functioning. A separate study linked a regular gratitude practice to reduced blood pressure in patients with hypertension.
If you’re in physical pain, take some gratitude. One study found that a noteworthy portion of ill patients who kept a gratitude journal experienced reduced symptoms and even reported a decrease in pain levels.
Gratitude can even make you sleep better! Due to the positive hypothalamus function induced by a consistent gratitude habit, our sleep pattern can change. The sum of the research regarding sleep and gratitude can be summed up like this; “Gratitude increases the quality of our sleep, decreases the time it takes to fall asleep, and lengthens the duration of our sleep.”
Are you sold yet?
As a recovering cynic and someone who has been through burnout, I can tell you that entitlement, pessimism, complaining, and living with a critical spirit will have a negative impact on our lives. For me, my spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical health were all impacted.
I stumbled on gratitude during my journey out of cynicism. I’ve discovered that God uses the discipline of giving thanks to create incredible change in me. I want the same for you!
Experimenting with Gratitude
So, where do we start?
Here are three steps to make gratitude a practice in your life, a practice that lasts beyond the month of November.
1. Recognize that gratitude and thanksgiving are choices we make and muscles we exercise, not merely emotions we feel.
Paul is one of the loudest Biblical voices for gratitude and thanksgiving, including a call in Philippians 4 to “Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.” However, few think of his location when he writes these words. He’s in prison! Paul's life is a constant reminder that we can rejoice even when our circumstances are difficult. Giving thanks is not about what life is giving us; it’s a choice based upon God’s character. As Paul demonstrates, the more we do this, the easier it gets.
One neuroscientist concluded, “the more practice you give your brain at feeling and expressing gratitude, the more it adapts to this mindset -- you could even think of your brain as having a sort of gratitude 'muscle' that can be exercised and strengthened...”
Recognize that gratitude is a muscle and the more you exercise it, the stronger it gets.
2. Set aside a time for your daily gratitude practice.
If you’re not someone who feels naturally inclined towards gratitude, then set aside a set time when you’ll give thanks to God each day. For gratitude newbies, I often encourage them to write down three things per day for thirty days and then have them step back to reflect on what they wrote down. If you do this, by the end of thirty days you will have made a note of almost one-hundred things you’ve thanked God for, regardless of your daily experiences during that time.
Writing down the things you are thankful for creates a record. Then, in those moments when you’re struggling to see what there is around you to thank God for, you’ll be able to review what you thanked Him for in the past.
3. Share the gratitude with others.
We live in a hyper-individualistic culture and are in a time when many of us feel more isolated than ever before. So, while practicing gratitude, look for an opportunity to share it with others.
If you choose to give thanks for someone or something someone else did, write them an old-school thank you note. Consider hand-delivering the thank you to them and reading it aloud. Or, leverage social media to track down someone who had an impact on you in an earlier life season and share your gratitude.
Andy Stanley often says, “Unexpressed gratitude communicates ingratitude.” The people who have impacted our lives may never know how much we’ve thanked God for them. So, go ahead, tell them!
When we begin praising and thanking God, even in adversity, our perspective gets a reset and our focus shifts from life’s obstacles to God’s provision. We become healthier, and our relationship with God goes much deeper.
Scott Savage is a pastor and a writer. He leads Cornerstone Church in Prescott, Arizona. Scott is married to Dani and they are the parents of three “little savages.” He is the creator of the Free to Forgive course and you can read more of his writing at scottsavagelive.com.
