4 Ways Gratitude Can Change Your Life This Thanksgiving
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- Updated Oct 20, 2022
Psalm 107:1 declares, “Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” Why do you think the Psalmist encourages us to boldly proclaim our thanksgiving just for who God is? Why is the Bible littered with verses that encourage gratitude? Is it just because God wants to hear how amazing he is?
Matthew Henry’s Commentary summarizes the purpose of the Psalmist's call to a grateful heart this way, “Those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, after God, and communion with him, shall be filled with the goodness of his house, both in grace and glory.” Gratitude for the Lord turns our self-obsessed minds towards the Lord. We cannot experience God’s good gifts in our lives when we are consumed with our lack, unmet expectations, and own failures. We have to hunger for a better-than-us good God to gain the posture of openness that is required for God to work in our lives. Gratitude opens the doors of our hearts to see Him.
Thanksgiving is an invitation to hear the Biblical call that encourages us to live with joyful thanks. Let’s not miss the chance to realign our hearts with the Bible's instructions to stop and remember what God has done in our lives. To praise Him for who he is. If we are facing struggles, remind our souls that God has the victory in the end!
Let a changed focus be the catalyst that changes your life this holiday season.
1. Gratitude Improves Your Relationships
We all have that friend or family member that we struggle to be around because everything they say is negative. Literally, they could win the lottery the wrong way. You want to love them, be close to them, but it’s a task just to be in the same space. I hate to break it to you but if you don’t know this person, it may be because they are you.
Taking God’s call to gratitude seriously allows us to either stop being that person. We start experiencing joy in our lives not because suddenly the perfect set of circumstances coalesces in our lives (truly experiencing joy is rarely just a circumstantial problem) but because we start to give thanks to the Lord for who he is, for the blessings around us (no matter how small), and our mouths start to reflect what God is doing in your heart. Your negative undertones make way for praise for the one who has made it all!
If you aren’t that person, living with gratitude can help you model something that that person stuck under a stronghold of negativity desperately needs. Your glass-half-full way of seeing the world can start to poke holes to let light into their gloomy worldview. You can be an encouragement to those around you because your joy is rooted in your relationship with the Lord and not from perfect friendships.
2. Gratitude Improves Your Physical Health
Crazy enough, doctors have noted that grateful people experience less aches and pains! They are more likely to take care of their bodies, exercise more regularly, go to more check ups, and generally enjoy a longer life. Seeing your body as a Temple that God has fearfully and wonderfully made, changes the way you regard the skin you are in. It’s something to be cared for, nourished, and appreciated because it’s a gift! Gratitude helps you see your desires as more than things to indulge but gives you the lens that says I must filter my desires with a heart of holy stewardship for my flesh. This gives us the motivation we need to employ the self-discipline required for healthy habits.
3. Gratitude Strengthens Your Mind
When we see things in a more positive light, we help our bodies experience less stress. This helps guard our mental health and also is more gentle on our bodies. Adapting a positive outlook is beneficial when we are working to overcome trauma. Gratitude promotes resilience, which is something that we need if we are to process the more difficult events in our lives.
When life challenges us, it’s a chance for us to flip the script. We can choose to stay stuck and defeated, or we can see the bright side. We can believe that God is working even in the most difficult parts of our stories. We can praise him for empowering us to endure, heal, and find comfort in every circumstance.
4. Gratitude Improves our Self-Esteem
Being grateful is one way to stop the negative consequences of comparison. When we look at another's life and become jealous, it’s easy to think of ourselves as a failure. Changing our view and instead being thankful for the unique ways that God has gifted you, and others protects your mind from negative self-talk. The next time you scroll and think boy they are doing life better, stop yourself and instead thank God that he has given you and them so many good gifts!
Gratitude gives us the lens for our lives that leads us to joyful living. It’s a powerful tool that the Bible encourages us to use and it’s something that scientists now have thoroughly documented benefits every person on this planet in numerous ways. This year take the Thanksgiving invitation for gratitude and apply it to your everyday life. A fun reminder that I have been loving to remain grateful has been by listening to Gratitude by Brandon Lake on repeat. Songs are a great way to encourage your heart, and I hope this one does just that for you.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Marinela Malcheva
