It is a Christian virtue to express gratitude. As Christians, to us, this is synonymous with expressing thanks to God. It has become so deep-rooted in us it is natural and almost reflexive. We sing songs of expressing gratefulness or thanksgiving to the Provider of our very breath.
Why then has gratitude in its basic form taken off with great momentum in mainstream society, even for those that don’t overtly express a belief or dependence on God? Is it because they have discovered that there is an added benefit to being grateful? In secular and other positive-thinking circles, gratitude is a component of healthy living. It is almost obvious that if one has a negative outlook on life, then one will decrease their rate of success. Pick up your average daily planner in the bookstore and you most likely will find a section for documenting gratitude.
In the past few years, I trained in three courses that had gratitude as an essential component. Two courses were Christian based, and the other was a professional social media online training. The latter, produced by LinkedIn Learning, aimed at making writers more productive. After all, if one writes for a living and doesn’t churn out the books, articles, or blogs, one starves! So, alongside developing routines, healthy diets, meditation, and brain-wave manipulation, there was the concept of gratitude. The premise was that if one starts the day with a negative mindset jaded by email, texts, and bad news, then one hampers their productivity. One is writing from a so-called “dark place” where ideas don’t flow as well or in an uplifting fashion. The solution then is to start the day by making a gratitude list of ten (10) things to reframe one’s thinking and set the mind up to produce from a positive writing reservoir.
The other course is the Nedley Depression and Anxiety Recovery Program®. Dr. Neil Nedley presents outstanding evidence and makes gratitude one of the eight (8) key components to developing a strong and healthy frontal lobe, the seat of spirituality and the will. He recommends identifying five (5) items of gratitude, but the daily checklist gives room for three (3).
CREATION Health®, a healthy living program designed and produced by Florida Hospital parks the concept of gratitude under its acronym “O” or “Outlook”. So, along with Choice, Rest, Environment, Activity, Trust, Interpersonal Relationships, and Nutrition, it is a vital component of true healthy living. Its “prescription” in this category recommends not only writing one (1) item of gratitude each day, but to whom one expresses gratitude. Therefore, although there are a variety of methods of acknowledging and documenting gratitude, the common thread is that the conscious act of doing so is imperative to realize the benefits.
What are the benefits of gratitude?
Certainly, we recognize that showing appreciation to God is essential. He does not make it conditional for His grace and mercy to be extended towards us, but it definitely enhances our love for and relationship with Him when we show gratitude, gratefulness, and thanks. Dr. Nedley notes one will have a calm state of being and not only recognize but exemplify a positive disposition, which includes the outward expression of a smile. By changing one’s mental perception, Florida Hospital outlines, the body follows suit. There is a boost to not only one’s demeanor, but one’s motivation and joie de vivre. This emotional and physical elevation contributes to the other categories within the acronym and directly or indirectly results in a well-rounded individual.
We have seen that although there may be many variables in play within a person’s physical, mental, social, emotional, and even economic construct, which may or may not be static, the recognition and change of an often overlooked changeable aspect of gratitude may make a world of difference. So on this Thanksgiving Day, choose to be grateful, give thanks, and make gratitude your new attitude!
