The Spiritual Science Behind Gratitude
Birthday Parade?
I was born on Thanksgiving Day in 1987. My mom called me her ‘butterball turkey’ and laughs about missing her Thanksgiving feast that year.
As I was growing up, my mom would wake me up on Thanksgiving Day saying “Nelly! Come watch your birthday parade!” She always made cinnamon rolls, too, a tradition I have kept with my family.
While I still love Christmas the most, Thanksgiving definitely holds a special place in my heart. Now that I am a counselor, I have read many studies and articles on the major benefits practicing gratitude has on our mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical health.
Practicing Gratitude is a Spiritual Science
The difference between being thankful and practicing gratitude comes down to intentionality. Being thankful is a general attitude. Practicing gratitude means intentionally naming specific things you’re grateful for today. For example, I’m thankful for my husband, but today I’m grateful he carried a camping chair for me at the parade. Those daily specifics help retrain the brain away from negativity and toward joy. Thankfulness says, ‘I appreciate you.’ Gratitude says, ‘I noticed what you did today.’
Research has shown that practicing gratitude helps reduce depression, anxiety, and stress while helping with sleep and that practicing gratitude seems to be a “resource for flourishing” (UCLA Health, Emmons). There is even more positive research that proves that regularly being specific about the things we are thankful for is good for us in so many ways.
This shouldn’t be surprising to Christians, though. God already gave us the recipe for a flourishing life in the scriptures. While yes, we should be thankful to God because it’s the right thing to do and He deserves it, when we choose to be grateful to Him, we also get many blessings to our own mental and physical health.
Verses like the following show God’s command for thankfulness in our lives:
1 Thessalonians 5:18: "Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Colossians 3:17: "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."
When we understand the blessings offered in giving thanks, we can see that God’s command for us to be thankful in all circumstances isn’t just to honor God, but to protect our mental health.
Rewire Your Brain Today
In what ways can you specifically be grateful to God today? I encourage you to make a gratitude journal and list three to five specific things that happened throughout the day that you were grateful for. This practice can literally shift the synapses in your brain and increase your peace and joy in life!
Gratitude is not just a warm feeling…it’s a spiritual discipline that rewires the brain toward peace. Today, I’m grateful that my husband carried that camping chair, my son’s genuine smile while passing out candy in a parade, and the Christmas decorations from my grandparents in my office.
What three things can you name right now?
